The Truth about Love and Baking
by thewhitepriestess
Summary: Slightly nerdy but a completely lovable Kagome works at a bakery called Little Wonders. Inuyasha, all around bad boy, gains employment at the shop. Can Kagome handle the heat in the kitchen or will she have to bring out the fire extinguisher?
1. Chapter 1

_Once upon a time there was a faerie princess and…_"Ugh! Will I ever get this right?" I angrily crumbled up the sheet of paper and threw it on the ground.

"Kagome Higurashi! Stop making a mess. People won't want to eat here if they think it's a pig sty!" Pushing my glasses up, I sighed and picked up my appalling attempt at a novel. "No one believes in fairy tales anymore any way." I thought as I smoothed out the sheet. The door chime goes off and I quickly hid all evidence of my failed attempt. "Hi, welcome to Little Wonders Bakery. Can I help you?" I quickly turned around and my vision collided with the most soul-searing, mismatched pair of eyes I've ever seen. I immediately started blushing but kept eye contact and paste a smile on my face. I knew this guy. He's the "big shot" at my high school; the one who is every girl's dream and every guy's best friend.

"Hey" he said so nonchalantly it made me want to check my hearing. "Am I not a girl?" I thought. I may not have been the most attractive girl but I had a pulse and, therefore, was this guy's type.

"Can I get an application?" he asked. "You'll have to see the manager. She's at the book counter," I replied. I spun around, trying to look busy. Guys like him got on my nerves. He saw girls as objects of satisfaction; only to be used and then discarded for the next one. I'm sure he has his moments but I thought I was the only who sees him for what he truly was: a user. "What is Inuyasha doing here anyway?" I thought to myself. "The Takahashi family has the Midas touch and his father has only increased their already endless fortune." I shrug and started making brownie batter for a fresh batch. That usually helped bring in the after school crowd.

An obnoxious titter destroyed my otherwise serene atmosphere. I look up to see the manager bent over the counter, allowing her comically large breasts to almost fall out of her shirt. Hand over her mouth, she giggled again, the high pitched noise making me almost drop the pan I was greasing. Inuyasha has obviously turned the charm on for this poor girl. I shook my head. "She has no idea what's about to hit her," I thought.

Inuyasha strolled back over to my side of the store and arranged his abnormally tall self into one of our many plastic chairs. I resumed my work, determined to stop observing him, as amusing as it was. I grabbed two eggs and crack them into my dark mixture. I swiftly became engrossed in my work; making sure the batter turned into one, smooth, homogenous mix of chocolately deliciousness. With that task completed, I set down the bowl. "It needs something," I thought.

"Maybe some chocolate chips?" Inuyasha answered. I jumped, unaware that I had spoken my thoughts out loud. I stared at him defiantly. "No, I don't think that's what's missing." Inuyasha somehow managed to remove the chair from his body and sauntered up to the counter. "Oh really? Well, why don't you let me have a taste?" he said with a smirk. Not willing to back down, I whirled around and took a spoonful. "Help yourself," I said as I handed him the spoon. Those mystical eyes on me, he lifted the spoon to his mouth. He then began to slowly, almost seductively suck on the utensil, never breaking eye contact. My ears burn but I wasn't willing to back down either. He took his time pulling the spoon out of his mouth. His lush lips then opened to release his tongue. He started to lap, LAP at the spoon as if it held drops from the Fountain of Youth. I let my bangs fall into my face, unable to continue watching him. He disturbed me; awakened something inside me but I wasn't going to admit it; not even to myself.

Aware that I was no longer watching the show, Inuyasha handed me back the spoon. "I'm not sure what it needs. Maybe you should try it," he said. Unlike him, I did not give the spoon oral sex. It was quite unnerving, however, to have someone watch your mouth with such intensity. I wanted to turn around and concentrate on the flavors emanating from the spoon but he had no affect on me, or at least, I would refuse to admit he did. I took the spoon out of my mouth, awkwardly stood behind the counter, unaware of what to say. His gaze remained on my lips. I opened my mouth to say something, any thing to get him to look else where but the motion of his arm stopped me. His hand was suddenly at the corner of my mouth. Inuyasha continued to study my lips as his thumb wiped the batter from the corner of my mouth. Without moving his gaze, he slowly rubbed his thumb against my lower lip. I want to say I shoved his hand away with a disgusted look but all I did was clench my fists to keep my lip from quivering. After reaching the other side of my lip, his hand fell to his side. I don't know what possessed me to lick my lip but I did. Hunger flared in his mismatched eyes as I slid my tongue from one end to the other. I had to break the tension; I had to. The look in Inuyasha's eyes was possessive and unknown to me.

"Peppermint," I said. As if waking up from a dream, Inuyasha's hazy eyes met mine. "What?" he asked. "The brownies need one tablespoon of peppermint extract," I said a little too quickly. I don't think I could've made it only more obvious the affect he had on me. "Inuyasha!" the shrill voice of my manager broke the trance-like state we had only seconds before been immersed in. "Saved by the bell," I thought. Looking at my manager, I winced at yet another high pitched giggle. "Or close to it."

I watched Inuyasha hand in his application. He whispered something in Kikyo's ear, setting off another "adorable" giggle fit. "He'll never get a job here," I thought. "He probably has zero work experience." After putting the mint brownies lovingly into the oven in the back room, I sat down on an industrial size box of flour and mentally yelled at myself for allowing the scene with Inuyasha to ever happen.


	2. Chapter 2

In my ideal world, I'd like to say that I didn't lose a wink of sleep over Inuyasha. I came home, did all my homework, spent some time with my family, and then went to bed. Realistically, I spent hours on the phone with Sango renewing my pact to not get involved with any one, especially guys like Inuyasha. My conversation with Sango reminded me that I have a goal. I can't get distracted because I need top scores in order to get into Duke University. The conversation set me back on track and I figured I was alright. I should remember that unexpected things happen when one least expects it.

"Kagome!" My mother's yell scared me out of bed, literally. Now on the floor, I sighed at my abnormal family. "Why must the walls be paper thing?" I wondered to myself. Once up, I went through my daily routine. Shower, clothes, breakfast, brush teeth, and then out the door. I walked all the way to my black Jeep Commander when my phone went off. Lack of sleep and surprise at the vibrations coming from my pocket made me drop all of my books, notebooks, and calculator. "This really isn't my morning," I thought. I answered the phone to no other than Sango. "Kagome?" she said questioningly. "Yeah?" "You are alright, aren't you? You would tell me if something has changed, right?" she said in a curious voice. "I still have the same goals and dreams. One encounter with that sexual deviant has not changed me forever, Sango," I said with a sigh. "Good. I'll see you at school!" The phone clicked in my ear, signaling the end of the call. After picking up all my spilled supplies, I got in the car and tried to find some music to lighten my mood.

Half days always seem like such a waste to me. You only spend three hours in school and go to half your classes. The structure and order provided at school was just what I needed that day but with the day cut short, I had to go to the public library to continue my studies. One would think that the library is a wonderful place to study and focus. Our public library, however, was used mostly as a place to make-out for the local teens. I use my time there more constructively and with my newly made pact fresh in my mind, I headed to my typical spot on the third floor: the rare books room.

Pulling out my Calculus book and my bulging notebook, I sat down at one of the many seldom used, old tables and got to work. After fifteen minutes of algorithms, I started hearing a creaking noise. It stopped as suddenly as it started, so I thought nothing of it. After another five minutes or so, I heard giggling and a low, deep chuckle coming from behind one of the many looming bookshelves. Rolling my eyes, I got up from chair and went looking between the shelves. Right away, I had a bad feeling. Eventually, a length of silver hair caught my eye. "Oh no," I thought. My feet, apparently having a mind of their own, kept walking towards the now moaning bookshelf. Inuyasha and another girl from our grade were fully engaged in an intense lip-lock. From my point of view, it looked like the girl was trying to shallow Inuyasha whole and he was willing to let her. My face grew warm as I watched his hand caress her hip, moving up her rips, and finally giving her breast a slight squeeze. I heard a zipper groan and a flash of skin. That was it. I had to get out of there.

Sprinting, not simply jogging, over to my table, I threw my stuff into my bag at one hundred miles an hour and took off running down the stairs a little faster than that. I slammed open the door of the library and gulped down the cold, fresh air. Footsteps approached me but I was too anxious to look up. "Kagome, you look like you just ran a marathon. Are you okay?" Sango's voice was like a gift from the gods. With a deep breath, I collapsed against the frigid stone wall of the library. "Sango, what do you know about trauma victims?" I asked as calmly as I could. "You have to keep them warm, talk to them until an ambulance arrives, and make sure their body doesn't go into shock. Why? Is someone in the library in need of first aid?" Sango asked quickly. "Oh yeah," I said. "I am in dire need of first aid. I saw Inuyasha getting busy in the rare book room." "Oh you poor thing!" Sango said sympathetically. "Let's go get you some hot chocolate." Sounded like a plan to me.

Sango did her best to console me. I didn't want to admit to her the affect the sight of Inuyasha and some other girl had on me. It was my lips that belonged on his. After he had stared at them so possessively the night before, did I not also have some kind of claim? The answer was obvious and I shouldn't have been surprised by his actions. After all, messing around with one girl after another was what Inuyasha did best. Breathing in the scent of my vanilla hot chocolate, I felt better. I was also completely unaware that Sango was rummaging through my bag. "Oh. My. Goodness," Sango said, apparently shocked by something. I looked up to see her clutching my newly purchased romance novel. "Never Seduce a Scoundrel? You've got to be kidding me, Kags," Sango said with a smile. "You know they help me relax," I said a bit defensively. "I know it's not real literature but I think after all my advanced placement and honors classes, I deserve a little light reading, don't you?" "I'm not judging you, Kags. I'm merely teasing you," Sango said, patting my shoulder. "I know but do you have to make fun of every book?" "Kagome, the title of the book has the words 'seducing' and 'scoundrel' in it. That alone gives me the right to poke fun at you." "Fair enough," I said with a cringe. "That is pretty bad, isn't it?" "Yes," Sango said bluntly. Realizing the time, I rushed off to Little Wonders. It was my all-night shift and I was excited to get down to my favorite thing besides romance novels: baking.

I punched in as I was tying my apron strings. Doing this one handed, however, was quite difficult and someone gently knocked my hand aside to assist me. "Now look at this, you've made a huge knot," a husky voice said. "Oh Goddess, no. Anyone but him," I thought in a panic. I felt strong hands grasp the ties at my hips and pull them together smoothly. "Odd; it feels like he's undressing me instead of helping me with my apron," I thought. "All set," he said with a smirk. I turned around bit by bit, not really ready to meet his mismatched eyes. "Inuyasha, that was really inappropriate," I said with a growl. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, Kaggie. That is, if you're wearing any." He eyes gave my body lingering look. I just gaped at him. Stammering, I turned away. "Kikyo! What is this person doing behind my counter?" I asked, slightly angry. "Hon, Kaede thought he'd be a big help around the store. Ya' know, with the heavy lifting." The look in her eye told me exactly what kind of "heavy lifting" she wanted Inuyasha to do.

"I can handle that myself," I grumbled. I turned back to stalk into my sanctuary of the back room when I caught Inuyasha looking at me with a sparkle in his eye. "What you looking at? I'm not going to put on a show for you any time soon," I said heatedly. He walked up and stood so close to me that I was trapped to the counter. "If it was anything like the one you got from me in the library today, I'd be willing to wait," he said roughly. My eyes widened. "No. There is no way he saw me," I thought. "Can this day get any worse?" Inuyasha started talking, pulling me from my thoughts. "If you wanted to perform said show in a duo, I'd be just as willing to give you a hand…or two," he said, reaching out to once again rub my lower lip. He actually managed to stroke my lip a couple times with his blasted thumb before I slapped his hand away. "How dare you! Why in the world would I want you?" Shaking with anger, I storm into the back room, leaving Inuyasha to ponder the conundrum I just left him with. Once again, I was glad the back room door had a lock.


	3. Chapter 3

I wasn't embarrassed by my actions; why should I be? So, yes, I did go against my own moral code of always being honest but it was for the better. The rest of work was fine; Inuyasha flirted with Kikyo, who ignored all the customers and I basically had to run the store. Was it fair? No, but it was better than risking a touch by Inuyasha. Work was, thankfully, pretty uneventfully; surprisingly, not one kid managed to smear his chocolate fudge iced blondie on the wall which was a nice surprise for me. I still, however, needed to work off the tension Inuyasha had created in me. I headed to the archery field with my bow and arrows.

Archery made me feel powerful and impenetrable, like my ancient ancestors. The long line of priestesses and priests that make up my family is a great one, known to anyone with ties to the Feudal era but no one my age really knows unless they're a demon. I don't wear the authentic priestess robes unless there is some kind of ceremony, so for practice I usually throw on my hip-hugging black pants and my sapphire halter top. The halter was pretty low cut and the black pants were quite tight but I was comfortable and no one ever worked out at the fighting arena at ten on a weeknight any way. Putting in my i-Pod earphones, I place an arrow on the bow and take my shot. It was a little off center and would have looked perfect to any one that wasn't me.

I continued drawing back the bow and taking increasingly better shots when the ground shook. I stopped shooting, body tense and alert but all was quite and remained so. Taking one earphone out, I warily took my bow back up again. BOOM! The surprise had me letting the arrow fly straight up towards the ceiling of the arena. "What the hell was that?" I thought. Placing the bow against the wall, I ran out into the lobby and started looking in every room. I finally got to the end of the row when the ground shook again, forcing me to my knees. A precession of these man-made earthquakes kept me on the dirty tile floor for about a minute. There was a reprieve and I quickly got up to investigate. I charged up to the window in the door and got an eyeful of a shirtless Inuyasha, flinging around his Tetsaiga like his life depended on it. Another attack against the computer-opponent sent me tumbling through the door. Of course, being a dog demon, Inuyasha instantly spun around, his wild mismatched searching for the intruder. Sprawled on the floor, I felt my face turn red with embarrassment. "Oh, great," I thought. "Now he's going to think I'm stalking him."

"What the hell were you thinking, Kagome?" he hissed at me. "You took me by surprise and I could've really hurt you!" Pushing myself onto my hands and knees, I glared up at him. "If you weren't doing enough damage to send this place to Hades, I would have stayed in my own practice room!" I shouted back. Hastily getting to my feet, I arranged my body in my most defensive stance. Of course, Inuyasha took no notice of this. His gaze was directed at my heaving bosom. Of course it was heaving! I was angry and had just been scared out of my mind! Passion blazed in his mismatched eyes but I wasn't about to back down or run away like I had earlier. His desire slammed over me as he looked me up, down, and a few more times just for good measure. I wanted to cover myself but I was stubborn. Using his demon speed, Inuyasha pushed me up against the pure white wall of his practice room. My wide eyes bore into his and he seemed to be as surprised as I was.

"Just a taste, Kagome," he whispered huskily. "That's all I ask." My clothes felt like they were simply burning away by his proximity. I was glued to that wall and not even the Jaws of Life would've been able to unstick me. He put his head in the crook of my neck, inhaling my scent. "My God, Kagome. You've been working hard for hours and you still smell of cinnamon." His lips trailed up my neck, tantalizing me every slow minute that passed. "I wonder how your lips will taste…shall I guess first or just sample now?" said Inuyasha as his hot breath slide across my neck.

I didn't want to kiss him. I was very, very inexperienced and someone as practiced as Inuyasha would surely notice. I bit my lips, hard to make them stop shaking. Inuyasha pressed against me, solid and unmoving. He fingertips brushed over my lips, feather light. "What do you want, Kagome? I'll do anything you want, baby." Inuyasha smirked into my ear. That woke me up. "Baby? How many other girls has he lured into this same situation, called them the same pet names, and made promises he wouldn't ever keep?" I wondered to myself. I slipped under his arms and walked to the door. "Nothing you can give me and everything you can't, Inuyasha."

I walked as calmly as possible back to my practice room, gathered my equipment, and left. I needed reason and logic in my life and Inuyasha brought out fast, intense emotion that I couldn't deal with. Unfortunately, my little jaunt to the battle arena hadn't cleared my head or dissipated the tension I felt. Driving home, my mind replayed the scene with Inuyasha. I didn't want to look too deeply, afraid of what I'd see if I did. "Girls like you and boys like Inuyasha don't end of happily ever after," I thought to myself. "This isn't like your romances, Kagome. This is real life." Taking a deep breath, I pushed the thoughts out of my mind. "Tomorrow, I'll act indifferently. Nothing he can say or do will get a response out of me," I thought.

After taking a shower, I grabbed a snack of mini carrots out of the fridge and got to work. I had tests in three of my advanced placement classes the next day and I needed to finish my reviewing; the reviewing that had been interrupted by Inuyasha. "AGH!" I yelled. Brisk knocks soon came from the other side of my door. "Kagome, is everything alright?" my mother said worriedly from the hall. "Yeah, I just ran my hip into the corner of my desk is all," I replied. "Oh, well be more careful," she said. My family is used to my clumsiness and me running into things was nothing new. Pining over a guy, however, was totally uncharacteristic of me and not something I wanted to make my family aware of.

After an hour or so of AP Government, I got a call from Sango. She was having trouble with the concept of selective incorporation, which was actually pretty difficult. After working our way through the problem, Sango got curious. "So, has Inuyasha done anything else perverted to you since yesterday?" "Sango, seriously, we need to study. The test is tomorrow and it's on three chapters." I said impatiently. "He has, hasn't he?" she said excitedly. "Why do you even want to know? You were the one that reminded me that he would just get in the way of my goals." "I know I said that but we're straight A students with enough extracurricular activities to send Duke's admission officer into shock. We haven't been experiencing high school like everyone else," Sango said with a sigh. "I, for one, am going to change that." "What do you have planned?" I asked suspiciously. "I'll let you know eventually. It's just a little experiment I'm working on," she said in a mysterious voice.

I rolled my eyes. Sango could be such so weird sometimes but, obviously, that's why I loved her. "Alright. Well, I hope your 'experiment' works out for you." "Goodnights, Kags," Sango said sleepily. "Goodnight Sango." I gave a huge yawn and stretched, ready to collapse into bed. I was frightened that my dreams would once again be dominated by the handsome devil with mismatched eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

The night passed slowly. My exhaustion was evident but it did not affect my sleep. I had laid awake most of the night thinking about the personification of sexy evil I was being forced to work with. Luckily for me, it was Saturday and my insomnia gave me the opportunity to do all my homework the previous night. My restless night apparently was a blessing in disguise.

Giving up my attempt to sleep in for once, I grabbed a sweater and walked down the steps to see Sango walking towards my front door. Just as she was about to knock, I pulled it open. "Good, you're up," Sango said. She strode through the entrance and walked into the kitchen. "You know why I'm here. Let's get to work." How could I have forgotten? Saturday morning girly breakfast with my best friend was just what I needed after my testosterone bath from Inuyasha. I excitedly began pulling out pancake mix, eggs, and milk while Sango grabbed fresh oranges from the fridge and a juicer.

"So….what's the deal with you and Inuyasha?" Sango asked innocently. The egg I was holding broke in my hand. "What do you mean?" I answered way too quickly. The yolk had begun to dribble through my fingers and onto the floor. Sango watched as my hand continued to involuntarily tighten into a fist. "Ah….I see," she said wisely. "What? There is nothing! You're imagining things, as usual." I said defensively. "Kags, you can't hide your feelings from me; I've known you way too long," she said with a smile. "You're still in the 'denial' phase but it's as plain as day to me."

Silence filled the kitchen as I slowly beat the pancake batter. The familiarity of a whisk in my hand and the circular motion I used comforted me. I felt the tension leave my body as I watched the mixture swirl. "Kagome?" Sango said breaking my trance. "He hasn't….hurt you, has he?" she asked worriedly. "No, sweetie. I'm fine, really." I said with a smile. "I'm not looking at this situation rationally and I'm letting my romantic mind get too involved. Those romance novels can to that to a girl, you know," I said with a giggle. "Oh, boy….is there a new one?" Sango said with an eye roll. "Darling, there is always a new one," I said with a terrible faux British accent.

I turned to my stove with a smile. Feeling completely at ease, I finish cooking the pancakes and bring them to my antique wood table. I placed the mountain of pancakes down and went in search of all the necessary condiments. Sango sat down with the pitcher of fresh squeezed orange juice and grabbed the Nutella. She smeared a huge glob of the chocolaty-hazelnut mixture onto her pile of pancakes and added a good dash of powdered sugar. "Sango, how do you eat that? You might as well open the sugar bag and eat straight from it," I said teasingly. "To each his own," she said licking her lips at her delicious creation. Shaking my head, I spooned strawberries and poured syrup onto my own pile. My bliss was interrupted by Sango making strange noises.

"If you took a second to stop stuffing as many pancakes into your mouth as possible, I might actually be able to understand you," I said laughingly. Sango glared at me and finished chewing. After gulping down some juice, she sighed with contentment. "When are you and Inuyasha working together again?" she asked. "I'm not sure. I know I'm working with Kikyo from noon to close today because Inuyasha has some concert or something. I don't really know but as long as I don't have to work with him, I'm set." "You can't avoid what you feel about him forever, you know. If you don't let some of the stress out, you're going to have an overload," Sango said. "Can we please stop talking about him? Really, he's not that fascinating of a topic," I said exasperated.

He was, thankfully, not brought up again. Sango helped me clean up the kitchen and then had to return home. Noticing the time, I quickly took a shower. I didn't allow my thoughts to wander like I usually do when I shampoo my waist length black hair because I didn't want to be late to work. I blow dried the wet mass as best I could and threw in into a messy bun. My bangs flopped into my eyes as I sprinted to my black Jeep Commander. I somehow managed to get to work with five minutes to spare and I sighed with relief. The last thing I needed was another "talk" with Kikyo. As I stood by the computer, apron thrown over my head but not tied, my bangs blocked my vision. I couldn't see the person walking behind but I could hear their footsteps. "Hey Kikyo. I'll start baking as soon as I punch in," I said.

Large, muscular hands grabbed my hips from behind and pulled me back. Inuyasha head went into the crook of my neck and he inhaled deeply. "My, my…you're hair is still a bit wet. Did you just come from your lover's house?" Inuyasha asked huskily. "Inuyasha, I need to get to work. It's Saturday and…" "We don't even open for another hour and customers won't come in for another thirty minutes after," he said happily. "Where's Kikyo?" I asked angrily. "Don't you have some stupid concert or something tonight?" "Kikyo came down with the sniffles," Inuyasha said while squeezing my hips. "You get me all to yourself today," he said suggestively. I began to glow, letting my power show a little. "You have five seconds to back away because I melt your skin off," I said emotionless.

"I'm getting to you, Kagome. I'm just waiting till you crack," he said with a sneer. I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, like that will ever happen," I said. Turning around, I put my cool hands to my hot face. "Crap, am I that easy to read?" I thought to myself. Shaking my head, I tried to clear my mind. I needed to focus on something other than the fallen angel with the mismatched eyes. I groped for my recipe box and ruffled through, pulling ones from random. Mini lemon meringue pies, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, chocolate éclairs, and snicker doodles were my choices. I set to work on the meringue because that would take the longest. Luckily, I had pie crusts from a couple days ago in the commercial fridge and the puffs for the éclairs frozen from earlier that month. I was so sure that it was going to be an easy going day.

While extracting fresh lemon juice, I felt like someone was staring at me. I quickly pushed the thought from my mind. "No one else is in here," I thought, trying to rationalize the weird feeling. A couple of minutes later, the feeling came back while I was test tasting my éclair filling. I was licking the spoon as I looked up to see Inuyasha watching me intensely. "Of course. He just has to watch me lick the white stuff off the spoon, which is probably the biggest innuendo ever," I thought. I looked at him and wondered what I should do. I smiled evilly. "Payback sounds like a good idea," I thought.

I slowly slid my tongue across the spoon, making sure to keep eye contact with him. His eyes narrowed as I moaned softly. I make a delectable filling, if I do say so myself. I rubbed the spoon across my lips, letting the filling sit on my lips. My tongue glided over my lips, removing the fluffy white filling from them. I didn't even see Inuyasha move. Before I could blink, Inuyasha had me up against the wall, hands pinned above my head. I noticed his normally blue and green eyes had bled red and I got a little worried. My breathing quickened and my eyes widened.

Collecting my wrists into my tight grip, Inuyasha brought his other hand down to the top of my chest. He wasn't actually touching my bosom but I could feel the heat radiating from his fingers. His fingers tightened on the neck of my t-shirt as he shoved me into my back room. Pushing me against the wall, I let out an involuntary moan. Inuyasha's ears twitched at the sound and an all-knowing smile lit up his face. The fingers on my collar moved quickly downward, slicing through not only my apron but my t-shirt as well. Somehow, I had managed to keep a grip on my tasting spoon. He grabbed it and rubbed the filling across my exposed chest. "Inuyasha this…this is totally….inappropriate," I said in a whisper. Inuyasha clearly wasn't listening. The filling glistened in the lights and Inuyasha stared like a man who hadn't eaten in weeks and his prayers had been answered.

Keeping my hands pined to the wall, Inuyasha pressed closer to my hips and lowered his head. I could barely breathe. I had some faint notion that maybe I should be fighting back or at least struggling a little but I was in shock. All thoughts let my mind as Inuyasha began to leisurely lap at the filling he had spread across my chest. After thirty seconds of the torture, I regained a little sense and tried to pull my wrists out of his grasp. "Kagome," Inuyasha growled. "Do. Not. Move." "I….I think…ohhh my," I mumbled. "What are you thinking about, Kagome?" Inuyasha said between love bites. "Really, I'm interested in finding exactly what you're thinking about. I can tell you precisely what I'm thinking about." He pressed his hips against mine. "Is that what I think it is?" I thought in a panic. He pressed again, harder this time. "Oh my goddess, it is." I have to admit, I was a little impressed but still mostly freaking out.

I couldn't use my power against him; it would be a shot below the belt, possibly literally. I was brought back from my thoughts by Inuyasha's warm breath on my lips. "Inuyasha, don't. You're….you're too close." I struggled to pull my hands away. "What's wrong, Kagome? It's not like you've never been kissed before," Inuyasha said jokingly. I stilled. Inuyasha pulled back suddenly, his eyes returning to normal. He stared at me. "You can't be serious. You've never been kissed before?" I turned my head away and tried to hide my face behind my arm. "No," I mumbled quietly. Strong fingers grabbed my chin, pulling my face out of hiding. "What?" Inuyasha asked. "No, I've never been kissed before, okay!" I yelled. Using all my strength to pull my wrists out of his hand, I managed to do it. "I was saving it for someone special and you almost stole it from me." I tried to pull the tatters of my shirt together but it was rather hopeless.

Inuyasha finally looked abashed. "Inuyasha, the store opens in forty-five minutes and I have a lot to get done. Please leave." I said, shaking with anger. The astonished look was still on his face and he left my back room in a daze. I collapsed onto a box of doilies and hugged my arms to keep them from shaking. Inuyasha had me against a wall for ten minutes and I was ready to throw my virginity at him! Digging around, I managed to find another uniform t-shirt. I didn't care that it was three sizes to large; I didn't want Inuyasha staring at me, or rather my chest.

The rest of the shift went as well as one could expect. I kept catching Inuyasha staring at me with a surprised look on his face as if he couldn't believe what I had divulged. I didn't care what Inuyasha thought of me or my old-fashioned romantic way of thinking. If he didn't like it, he could kiss my ass.


	5. Chapter 5

Kaede's call woke me the next morning. It's not like I was actually asleep any way. "Kagome, I know you're not scheduled to work today but with the book signing I need someone to bake up some goodies. I'm sorry, hon. Do you mind?" "Of course not, Kaede. I don't really hae anything else to do today any way," I said with a sigh. "Wonderful! Thanks, Kagome!" Kaede said before happily hanging up the phone.

"Ughhhh," I moaned as I rolled myself out of bed. What I really needed was a day in bed, trying to regain the sleep I'd lost because of Him. I needed Sango and a container of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. "Why can't I say no to people? That would make life so much easier," I thought to myself. I actually put some effort into my physical appearance and showered which was actually refreshing and helped wake me up.

I got into work about thirty minutes before it opened. "Perfect," I thought. "Hopefully Kaede doesn't have something incredibly challenging for me today because I don't know if there's enough time to prepare it before the book signing." I looked around the store, searching for any sign of life. I didn't know who else was working today and I was on the defensive. I checked the area around me as I went to clock in, paranoid of Inuyasha's strong hands.

"Kaede!" I yelled as I tied on my apron. "What do you want me to make?" "I left out the recipe for Watermelon Cupcakes and Sweet and Salty cookies on the counter. You might want to start on the cupcakes first," she responded from her office. I went to the back room to grab my large mixing bowl as well as flour and sugar. I tried as hard as I could to not look at the wall. Drawn to it, I turned around and stared. Wanton feelings erupted inside and I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning. "Why now? Why this year, my most important year at school?" I thought. Kaede rushed into the back, interrupting my thoughts. "Sweetie, is everything okay?" she asked, a concerned look on her face. "I'm fine, just a bit tired." I replied. "I forgot, the author coming in has a thing for apple crunch bread. I started some dough earlier, so all you need to do is knead it, let it rise, and put it in the oven," Kaede said. "I can do that," I said with a half-smile.

I went to the industrial size refrigerator and quickly found the dough. I turned on the oven, allowing it to preheat while I kneaded the dough. The dough moving through my fingers worked its magic and I soon found some of my tension leaving me. I set the dough aside to let it rise and began mixing the ingredients for my cupcake batter together. After adding some pink food coloring to make it look like the inside of a watermelon, I put the bread dough into some bread tins for baking. Setting the timer for thirty minutes, I turned back to the cupcakes. Giving the batter one last good mix, I turned around to grab the muffin tins. When I went back to my bowl, a certain silver haired demon had his arms planted around it and a sexy smile gracing his lips.

"Hey there, Kags," he said casually. Really, I thought he would stay away from me once I revealed my embarrassing lack of experience. If there's one thing Inuyasha doesn't mess with, it's innocence. Apparently, he was making an exception for me. In a matter of seconds, Inuyasha was behind me. He didn't touch me; it was like he was trying to tease me by being there, close enough to feel his body heat but refusing that last step.

"You look tired, baby. You didn't get much sleep last night, did you?" he asked in a whisper. I felt his fingertips trace slowly down my spine. "He moved his mouth closer to my ear. "I know I didn't. What have you done to me, priestess? What spell did you put on me?" he continued, his voice becoming rough. I felt his fangs as he nibbled on my earlobe. "I can't seem to get you out of my mind," he said huskily. A moan escaped my lips. My body stepped backwards, without my consent. I pressed myself against him, letting myself feel his hard body. Inuyasha smelled my surrender. "I thought you didn't want me, Kags," he said with a sneer. He moved his head down to my neck and pressed tantalizing kisses there. "My body won't listen to my mind," I said, panting. "I need to get away from him," I thought. "My mind can't reason with him around."

"I see your mind working. I know you want this. Just let it go. Let yourself feel," Inuyasha said, caressing my hips with his claws. I hoped to the heavens that Kaede would stay in her office because this would no doubt get me fired. I pressed myself into the crook of his neck, allowing him access to more of my long, slender neck. Inuyasha growled his approval and immediately began inhaling my scent and spreading more kisses. My breathing became even more labored as I felt his hands glide slowly up my waist, towards my ribs, and…

RIIIINNNGGGG! The timer on the oven went off. Inuyasha sighed and his head collapsed onto the back of my shoulder. Muttering curses, he pulled me closer to him. "Just let whatever is in the oven burn, Kagome. I need to finish this," he said darkly. I shook my head, ridding myself of all the foolish notions. "Let me go, Inuyasha. Kaede asked for the bread especially and I can't let her down just so you can get some action," I said. I pulled his arms off me and disappeared into the back room. I opened the oven, feeling heat and the wonderful smell of cinnamon waft over me. I pulled the pans out of the oven, making sure they were done past their perfect golden-brown interior. I took them out of their pans to cool and began mixing tiny caramelized apple pieces into Kaede's own icing.

Inuyasha rushed into the back, having snapped out of the trance I left him in. "Don't walk away from me! I said we're going to finish this and we damn will!" Inuyasha growled. He pulled me away from the counter and into his embrace. He broke the rubber band holding my hair in a ponytail, letting it spill down my back. He grabbed two fistfuls of my locks and pulled, making me expose my neck. This dominant position drove him crazy, and it was showing in normally mismatched eyes. "What am I going to do? It's a miracle that Kaede hasn't already caught us and if I don't have this bread ready on time, she'll kill me!" I thought.

Using my miko powers, I pushed Inuyasha against the wall and bound him there. "Inuyasha, I have work to do and seriously, I need to get it done." The beast that had been awakened in him would not listen to reason. "There's only one thing to do," I thought to myself. I turned around, grabbed a cup, and filled it with the coldest water available. "I'm sorry but I have to do this," I said apologetically. I moved closer and threw the water at his face. Inuyasha shuddered and I watched as his eyes returned to normal.

"Kagome, what the hell?" Inuyasha sputtered, water dripping down his face. "You needed to be cooled down and I really need to get back to work," I said slowly. Inuyasha smirked. "Babe, you threw the cold water at the wrong place." I looked at him in confusion. I looked down and looked back up, aghast. "I…um…I didn't think about that," I said. "Kagome, unbind me. Right. Now." Inuyasha said, struggling against the binds. I grabbed my icing and the bread and run out to the front. I breathed a sigh of relief. That binding should hold him long enough for me to get the cookie dough done.

Thankfully it did. I was just about to start cutting the bread when Inuyasha came bursting from the back room. "Why do are you trying to postpone the inevitable, Kags? It's going to happen," he said knowingly. My attention was completely focused on the knife I was holding. Due to my klutzish nature, I was especially careful when it came to sharp objects. I merely mumbled same response as I began cutting the apple cinnamon bread into equal slices. I didn't even hear Inuyasha talking to me or take notice of his motions.

"…water!" Inuyasha yelled as he yanked my elbow, trying to turn me towards him. The quick motion distracted me and I missed the bread. Instead, I cut a large gash into my left arm which quickly starting pouring blood. I looked down. "Inuyasha, I didn't blood could come out so fast," I said slowly, trying to stay conscious. Inuyasha stopped ranting long enough to look down to see the blood. His eyes got wide. "Kaede!" he yelled. Kaede came rushing out of her office. "Kagome, why is that knife bloody?" She looked down at my arm. "Oh my goddess! Inuyasha, take her to the hospital this instant. I can hold down the fort. Go!"

Inuyasha picked me up bridal style and flew out the door. Using his demonic abilities, he sped towards the hospital. "Inuyasha, really it's not a big deal. I have…." I tried to say. "Kagome, stop talking. You're losing blood much too quickly. I'm taking you to a hospital regardless of what you say," Inuyasha said quietly. Seeing that nothing I could do would convince him otherwise, I settled back for the ride.


	6. Chapter 6

I guess I must have passed out from lack of blood because the next thing I knew, I was in a crisp, overly white hospital bed. I looked at the hazy figures around, trying to figure out who they were. "Kagome? CAN YOU HEAR ME?" someone said a bit too loudly. "Yes, Inuyasha. I'm hurt, not deaf; there is no need to yell," I said, a little irritated to discover I had a headache. I swung my legs around to the side of the bed and sat up. "Oh no you don't," Inuyasha said. "The doctor said you were to remain lying down until she returned with the supplies to sew up that cut." My breathing grew labored as Inuyasha pushed me back down onto the pillows. "Kagome, you're really pale. Is everything all right?" he asked, sounding genuinely worried. "I'm fine. Are you sure I have to get stitches? Are you absolutely, sure?" I said, chewing my lip. "Ohhhh, I get it. You're afraid of needles. You can wield huge butcher knives and face five hundred degree ovens but not one tiny needle? Come on, Kags, stop messing around."

The doctor strode into the room. "Well, young lady that's quite a laceration you have there. Unfortunately, you will have a scar but right now, you only need twelve stitches." "That's twelve too many," I muttered. Inuyasha ears quirked and he snickered. "Maybe you should just leave, Inuyasha," I said crossly. "Nope, I think you're going to need a….distraction to get through this," he said, mismatched eyes gleaming. "You're a lucky one, Miss Higurashi. If you cut only deeper, you would've sliced open a major artery and a scar would've been the least of your worries," the doctor said. "Can we please stop talking about blood, arteries, and anything medical?" I said as a turned even paler.

The doctor pulled his stool and a rolling platter that held all of his gleaming tools to my left side. Inuyasha walked to the other side and grabbed hold of my hand. I watched nervously as the doctor threaded the needle. I felt involuntary shivers go up my spine. "Kagome," Inuyasha whispered. "I need you to look at me." "I can't," I whispered. Inuyasha placed his free hand on the left side of my face and gently pulled it towards him. I stared deep into his mismatched eyes and I saw my frightened ones reflecting. "Kagome, I'm right here. Focus on my voice," Inuyasha said. My gaze slipped to his lips. I watched them curve into a smile. "Okay, I didn't mean like that but it still works," he said laughingly. I looked at the ceiling embarrassed until I felt the needle pierce my skin.

My sharp intake of breath reclaimed Inuyasha's attention. He trailed his fingertips down my unwounded arm. "You're skin is so soft, Kagome," he said quietly. Inuyasha slowly brought the crook of my elbow up to his nose and took a whiff. He laid his head on my upper arm and looked me in the eyes. What I saw there shocked me. He looked almost….vulnerable. I felt my arms curl involuntarily and my hand stroke the soft fur of his puppy ears. I giggled as I felt the reverberations of Inuyasha's purring go up my arm. Inuyasha lifted the sleeve of my t-shirt and pressed a warm kiss to my shoulder, letting his lips rest there for an eternity.

"Okay! You're all set!" The doctor's voice destroyed the cocoon Inuyasha and I had been enveloped in, making us jump apart. "Wow, that was fast and virtually painless," I said surprised. "Oh, don't worry," the doctor said. "The pain comes tomorrow, which is why I'm giving you a prescription for codeine." I looked at him. "You're kidding, right?" "Nope! Also, the codeine will probably knock you out, so don't take it during school." The doctor whistled and he walked out of the room. "I hate everything medical!" I yelled. "Kagome, that's a bit ridiculous," Inuyasha said trying not to laugh at my outbreak. "Just take me home, Inuyasha," I said, suddenly tired beyond belief. Inuyasha picked me up and took off.

Luckily, Inuyasha didn't jostle my injured arm to much and got me home quickly. Unfortunately, I was greeted by a shriek and a lung collapsing hug. "Sango," I wheezed. "You're hurting my arm and my lungs." "Oh my gosh! I'm sorry, Kags! I was just so worried!" She turned her gaze to Inuyasha. "You," she said venomously. "I am going to HURT YOU!" Sango, always prone to extreme emotions, began digging through her backpack. "Oh no," I thought. "Sango, do not….". I wasn't able to finish because a flash of steel cut me off as Sango pulled her sword from her bag and turned towards Inuyasha defensively. "AHHHHH!" Sango yelled as she took off, sword blazing. Inuyasha quickly jumped into the closest tree. "Why is she carrying that thing around? How the hell did she even fit it in her bag?" Inuyasha asked, obviously confused and a little alarmed. I watch as Sango put the sword through the belt loop of her pants and started reaching for the closest branch. "She's a demon slayer," I said. "I…uhhh…put a spell on it so she could fit it her bag without problem." "You have got to be shitting me," Inuyasha said. "Why the hell would you do that?" he shouted. "It seemed like such a good idea at the time…" I said innocently.

"Could you please call your guard dog off?" he yelled down. I took a deep breath and walked over to her. "Sango, Inuyasha did not hurt me. It was a very unfortunate accident," I said slowly. Sango stopped jumping and turned around. "Oh," she said after turning five different shades of red. "I didn't know that." She quickly turned around to look up at Inuyasha. "But he had his hands all of over you, like you were the class slut! How dare he touch you like that!" "I was doing nothing of the sort!" Inuyasha retorted. Their arguing faded into the background as I began to feel woozy. The ground began spinning and I was definitely losing balance. "Kagome?" a concerned voice called. I started to fall backwards. "Oh great, more stitches," I thought. I fell against a solid chest and I felt arms encircle my waist. "Kags," Inuyasha said as he shook me lightly. "I need to lie down," I said quietly. "Can you walk?" Inuyasha asked. "Yeah, I think so." I took a few steps, hands massaging my temples when I stumbled. Inuyasha grabbed my uninjured arm and picked me up.

He held me close as he walked into the house, sniffing the air to find my room. "Inuyasha, it would probably be best if you left," Sango said. "What, are you going to carry her upstairs? She can't do it herself, you know," Inuyasha responded. "Sango, he's right. We have a big test tomorrow. Why don't you go home and study? I'll call you after I take a little nap," I said with a half-smile. Sango's face softened. "As long as you'll be okay," she said. She turned to face Inuyasha. "If you even think if taking advantage of her, I will cut off what makes you a male." I giggled as Sango stalked out of the house and Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "That puny sword of hers wouldn't even be able to cut through it," he said egotistically. I swatted his arm.

Inuyasha opened the door to my room and was engulfed by the flowy drapes and soothing colors. "This room doesn't fit you," he said surprised. "Inuyasha, could you put me on the bed? I'm quite tired," I asked. A glint flickered to life in his eyes. "Are you sure? Are you sure you're that tired, Kagome?" he whispered in my ear. He moved me so quickly that I didn't even realize that I was now vertical in his arms with my legs around his waist. "Inuyasha, you are totally taking advantage of me right now! I'm injured and need sleep!" Inuyasha moved his delicious mouth closer to my ear. "You've already bled today, Kagome. What's a little more?" he whispered. A shiver went up my spine which moved me body against his. Inuyasha growled and walked towards one of my walls, placing my back on it. "Inuyasha, this is not a good time!" "I think the lady doth protest too much," he replied huskily. "Oh great," I thought. "He's quoting Shakespeare, one of big weaknesses. Of course he just happens to be a romantic."

"Inuyasha, put me down!" I said, trying my best to ignore the rock-hard thighs I was sitting on. Inuyasha caressed my hip and placed kisses on my neck. I squirmed around, trying to get out of the tangle of our legs. Inuyasha growl deepened. "You shouldn't have done that," he whispered. He quickly moved towards the bed and set me down. Seeing that I was comfortable, he placed his hands on my knees and shoved them apart. Moving between them, the hand on my hip started pulling my shirt up, revealing my smooth stomach. "Inuyasha…I…I…" I couldn't continue. Inuyasha's lips had pressed against mine, sending the sparks into flames. Inuyasha pulled back and looked at my shocked expression. "So, you did like it," Inuyasha stated smugly. My hand shot out and grabbed the collar of his shirt. I let my power flare and burn the top of shirt. I pulled his face closer to mine.

"You bet your ass I did," I said assertively. I pulled him down till our lips met once more. Once he got over his surprise, Inuyasha quickly took control of the kiss and as I had no experience, let him take the reins. Inuyasha's hot kisses confused me. Wasn't I supposed to be protesting or at least trying to stop this? Inuyasha bit my lip and all thoughts flew through my mind. Inuyasha's hands were moving all over me, like he couldn't decide where the best spot to place them were. One hand accidentally grazed my stitches. Letting out a surprised cry, I tore my mouth away from his. Inuyasha took his weight off me. "Kagome, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to touch it!" "It's fine. Could you please give me a codeine pill?" I asked. "Yeah, off course." Inuyasha reached for his coat on the floor and pulled the bottle from the doctor out of the pocket.

I held out my hand to receive the rather large pill. "I'm going to need some water as well," I said. Inuyasha sighed as he got off the bed and went to the bathroom. He returned with a full paper cup and handed it to me. I sat up and swallowed the pill as I watched him lie down next to me. He gently picked up my arm and placed a kiss on my stitches. "It's my entire fault," he said quietly, sounding a little sorry. "Inuyasha, it was just an accident. The wound will be healed soon enough," I said. "Much quicker than you think," I thought to myself. "Thank goodness for my priestess healing powers."

Thanks to the codeine, I started feeling quite drowsy. "Inuyasha, you should go. I'm exhausted." "If you say so, babe." He roughly kissed me on the mouth and I felt my pulse race. Inuyasha smiled against my lips. "That's the response I like," he said as he walked out of my room. "Arrogance does not become you," I said knowing he'd him me with those blasted ears of his. He called be "babe". Such a derogatory term, used to put distant between people who shared something sacred. "While I enjoy his kisses, I shouldn't let this go further than that," I thought. It was to be my own little experiment.


	7. Chapter 7

The great thing about codeine is that if you let it, the stuff knocks you out quick. I got the best night's sleep I've gotten in weeks. Unfortunately, I woke to blinding pain in my arm and the fact that I was about to yell bloody murder at four in the morning had me biting my pillow to keep myself silent. I stumbled around my room, cursing Inuyasha for not telling me where he put the godforsaken container of pills. "I'm going to rip him limb from limb," I thought violently. I tripped over my rug, sending me flying to the floor. Luckily, I managed to land on my right arm and not reopen the wound on my left.

The crash had alarmed my mother, who came barreling into the room, bat in hand, ready to defend her home like a momma bear. Seeing me on the floor in a state of agony, she quickly dropped the bat and rushed to my side. "Oh sweetie! Why aren't you in bed sleeping?" "I need….the codeine. I'm in quite a lot of pain," I managed to get out. "Silly me!" my mother exclaimed. "I forgot that Inuyasha gave them to me last night for save keeping." I have never before had murderous intentions towards my mom but that quickly changed.

A plastic pill bottle being shaken in front of my face reclaimed my attention from the vicious images dancing in my head. "Oh thank goddess," I thought. "I don't think you should go to school today, darling," my mom said. "The lack of stress may let your powers help out more." For once, my mom was correct. Not being in school or being around Inuyasha and Sango would be relaxing. I steadily agreed and took one of the pills. The sensation of numbness came over me as well as that of my body repairing itself.

A heavy thud woke me for the second time that day. Surprised, I sat up and did a quick scan of my room. Everything looked normal…except for the jean clad half demon leaning against my window. I didn't even remember leaving that window open. "How the hell did you get into my room?" I asked slightly aggravated. "I made sure I left the window open last night before I left," he replied smugly. "Don't you have some virgins to deflower? Why are you here?" I demanded. "Actually, I do and you are my four o'clock," he replied, stepping closer to my bed. Unconsciously, I scooted closer to my headboard and gulped. "Wh-wh-what?"

"Just kidding, Kags," Inuyasha said. "I'm playing the part of a 'good friend' and bringing you all the work you missed today, hence the overloaded backpack." I looked at him closely; something was wrong with this picture. Then it hit me; he was trying not to look me in the eyes. "You're not playing the 'good friend'; you feel guilty about what happened yesterday and this is your attempt at atonement." "No…" Inuyasha objected a bit too quickly. "That is totally what you're doing! Wow, Inuyasha Takahashi actually has feelings somewhere other than his pants."

There was a flash of silver and Inuyasha was suddenly kneeling on the bed next to me. He grabbed the hand of my uninjured arm and squeezed it. "Of course I feel guilty! It was my fault!" he said roughly. "I keep seeing all that blood pouring out of your arm," Inuyasha added quietly. "I'm not blaming you, Inuyasha. It was just an accident," I said, patting his arm. "Besides, my healing powers have already closed the inside wound." He brought my arm up to his eye level as if he could see through the skin. Inuyasha closed his eyes and pressed a kiss to my damaged flesh and the very slight twinge of pain I felt meant that my powers were working faster than I thought.

"So, is that really my homework or did you just put bricks in there to make it seem more impressive?" I asked pulling my arm away. I would never get used to his lack of personal space. Inuyasha slowly opened his eyes and looked at me. "Do you really want to focus on schoolwork, Kags? There isn't anything….else on your mind?" he whispered in my ear. There were many things on my mind, most of them involving Inuyasha, but I wasn't about to let him know them. "Yes, let's get to work," I said. Inuyasha's eyebrows shot up his forehead surprised. "Could you be a dear and bring me my math book from my desk?" I asked sweetly. Inuyasha grumbled as he stalked to the desk. "This isn't what I had in mind…" he muttered.

From a third party perspective, the study session would have looked completely innocent. The searing looks Inuyasha sent me and the pressure of his thigh against mine said otherwise. Whenever he passed me a book, he would rest his hand on mine for an extra moment or two, forcing me to stare into his blue and green eyes. I wasn't going to let him have all the fun. I let the flimsy strap of my top fall off my shoulder and would slowly put it back into its place. I flung my hair around, spreading my scent around the room.

I finally noticed it had gotten dark. "Why hasn't my mom come upstairs to check on me?" I wondered. Subconsciously, I was glad. I wasn't done messing with Inuyasha's mind; I had a lot of payback to do. I pulled my hair to one shoulder and leaned over, exposing my neck. "What is this problem about?" I asked innocently. Inuyasha didn't hear me; he was too busy staring at my neck. I placed my hand on my neck and slowly moved it down, his eyes following the same path. I set my hand on his thigh and reached over for a notebook. Inuyasha's ears quirked as the bed squeaked beneath me.

Returning to my original spot, I looked at Inuyasha from the corner of my eye. The red in the corners of his eyes brought me great joy. "It's about time someone gave him a taste of his own medicine," I thought with a smirk. "Do I have the guts to go all the way?" I wondered. "I might as well try," I thought. While Inuyasha glanced back down to his English book, I arranged my pajama top to show as much cleavage as possible. "What is your class working on?" I asked, breaking his focus. I sat on my legs so my chest would be a little higher in his line of vision. "Am I playing with fire?" I wondered?

Inuyasha's head turned to me and he opened his mouth to reply but the sight of my bosom stopped him. A chill went down my back as I saw the red spread across the remainder of his eyes. "Too late to go back now," I thought. Various school books were sent flying through the air at Inuyasha's movement. I lay completely horizontal, trapped beneath him. His fingers tangled themselves in my hair and he pulled, forcing my head back. I exposed my whole neck to his fiery gaze. He feasted upon on my throat, hands and mouth everywhere; sucking, nipping, licking. I moved my hands to his waist and pushed his t-shirt up. I let my nails graze his back. Inuyasha, in response, moved lower. I heard a rip as parts of my pajama top flew to the floor. Inuyasha pushed himself off and held his weight on his forearms. He took in the sight of me, naked from the waist up, sheets covering my lower half, and warm from his touch. It was enough to push the demon side of him over the edge.

He laid his head down on my breasts and rubbed his stubble back and forth. The abrasion wasn't painful and my back arched under the touch. Inuyasha growled and forced me back down on the mattress. He curled one hand around one breast while his mouth attacked the other. My mouth opened in surprise. Scenes from my romance novels flashed through my mind. "I see the wheels turning, Kagome. What could possibly be on your mind right now?" he asked, voice husky. He bit the underside of my breast. "Just to let you know, your chemistry test is the wrong answer." His mouth moved to my other breast, giving it equal attention. "Answer me," he demanded as he nibbled my nipple. "I….didn't….oh my….think that it worked just like….my…."

I felt Inuyasha's fingers play with the straps of my underwear. Inuyasha began kissing down my stomach, stopping here and there to place love bites. "Your what?" he asked. "My romance novels," I said quickly, while I had the breath. "It's pretty similar," he drawled. "Except for one difference." He placed an open mouthed kiss on my hip bone. "What's that?" I whispered. Inuyasha pressed my legs apart. "It's happening to you." I pressed my lips together to hold back a moan. My hands rested on his shoulders and I was surprised to feel fabric under my hands instead of flesh. I tugged aimlessly at his shirt while he kissed my belly button.

"Oh, I'm sorry Kags. Did you want this off?" Inuyasha asked innocently. I mumbled under my breath. "I'll take that as a yes." I smiled as I saw his golden flesh exposed. The planes of his muscles thrilled me and I sat up to touch him. I trailed my fingers down his abs and pulled at his belt. "I'm not finished with you," Inuyasha rumbled into my ear. With a flick of his wrist, my underwear was ripped off and keeping my top company on the floor. "You are way too practiced at this. It's unsettling." I tried to regain my senses and Inuyasha took notice. "Oh, no; now that I have you naked, nothing is going to distract me." He pushed me back down on the mattress. Clamping my knees together, I glared at him. "This is not a one person decision, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha pushed his fingers into my hair and pulled me into a sitting position. He rubbed his lips against mine, as if asking permission. I remained motionless. He placed a hand on my cheek and nibbled at my lips. I smiled despite myself and Inuyasha pressed the advantage. My knees gave away as we laid back down. "I'll be gentle, I promise," Inuyasha whispered. I watched him make his way back down between my thighs and closed me eyes. I felt myself blush as he lapped at the wetness. My legs tensed as he continued. "Kagome, this will be so much better if you try to relax," Inuyasha said against my thigh. I released the muscles in my thighs and after a while, realized he was right, it was better.

My breathing grew labored as Inuyasha picked up speed. My muscles clenched and I gave a long moan. My legs were still shaking from the aftermath when I felt Inuyasha's fangs bite my thigh. I looked down to see him, he's eyes intensely red biting my inner thigh with great force. I've heard of this before but having never seen it, I was confused. I pushed Inuyasha away from my thigh and shook his shoulders. While he regained his senses, I pulled the sheet over my torso. Finally his eyes turned back to their normal colors. I looked at him warily. "Inuyasha, did you just mark me as your mate?" I asked slowly. Inuyasha's eyes widened with shock. He wrenched the blanket up and stared at my thigh. We both stared as the crescent moon symbol of his family started to appear over his bite marks. We stared at each other, shocked at what had just occurred.


	8. Chapter 8

"I'm totally screwed." I dropped my face into my hands and sighed. "This is honestly the most ridiculous situation I've ever been in." I looked back down at _The Demon Encyclopedia_ to reread the passage that foreshadowed my doom.

_When a demon of age meets his soul mate, he is instantly attracted and will attempt to mate with them whenever they possibly can. The ultimate goal for the demon is to mark their mate. The initial bite makes an emotional and physical connection between the pair. Any strong emotions one has, the other will feel just as clearly. If the mate is bitten while the demon's eyes are a searing red, the demon has to have intercourse with the person before the third full moon or they will lapse into insanity. The only way for a demon to avoid becoming another person's life-mate or giving in to the madness is to kill them._

"Fantastic", I thought. I let another sigh loose and laid my head on the book. "My options are looking pretty slim. Either have sex with Inuyasha and be his life-mate or be killed by him."

I suddenly felt a hot-white rage. "Why me?" my mind screamed. "Inuyasha should be more in control of his demon side then this!" I slammed the book shut and ran out of the rare books room. I headed towards the stacks, the oldest and usually emptiest part of the library. I checked between the rows upon rows of books as I walked to the back for lusty teenagers. "That's the last thing I need to see right now; someone else getting it on." I mumbled to myself.

There was only silence and I smiled. I felt some of the tension in my shoulders disappear. "I need to forget about Inuyasha and this stupid mark," I thought. I located one of the fluffiest, comfiest chairs in the stacks and plopped down. I pulled out _Love Letters from a Duke_ and began reading. "This is much better than that stupid encyclopedia", I thought happily. I opened the book to my book mark and began reading…

…_and when she looked up into his eyes, peered into those dark mysterious depths, she realized something else. That this was all she ever wanted – her heart's desire. He hauled her into his arms, crushing his lips to hers. She felt the slight sting of his fangs against her lips as his tongue pushed for entry. She cried in surprise, allowing him want he wanted. Her hand slid up his chest to tangle itself in his silvery locks. He growled as she tugged at them, making her smile. His hands roamed to the laces of her gown, eliciting a moan from her mouth. That was all the urging he needed and his fingers quickly undid her ties. She stared into his mismatched eyes as she pushed off his waistcoat. She felt her knees quake as her gown hit the floor of the duke's chamber. His silver hair flowed behind him and red started to tinge his eyes as he stared at her. With demonic grace, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed. She held out her arms to him. "Come to me, my love", she whispered. He pulled off his shirt as he joined her. The mattress sunk under his knees as he placed them on either side of her. The red tinge completely covered his eyes as he ripped off her chemise and undergarments. He traced one claw down her neck, lower, lower…._

RRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGG! I jolted awake in the chair. "Sango was right…those romance novels are a bad influence," I groaned. I quickly grabbed my phone and looked at the screen. My mom's picture lit appeared and I pressed the answer button. My mom's worried and, unfortunately, high pitched squeals suddenly came over the speaker, forcing me to hold the phone away from my ear. "Mom, could you please bring your voice to an octave something other than dogs can hear? Thanks".

"Where are you, honey? It's almost nine o'clock! You know it's a school night and you don't have work and with that injury of your's….you shouldn't be out so late!"

"Yes, mom, I'm aware of all those factors."

"Then why aren't you home?"

"I fell asleep at the library. Calm down."

"Oh…well, hurry home! I made korokke!"

"Oh goody", I thought. "How burned is it?"

"Well, you know I do always seem to have trouble with the temperature settings on the fryer….no matter! Sota and grandpa both ate it and they seem fine!"

"…of course they do," I said as I mentally reminded myself to pick something up on the way home. I couldn't afford to miss any more school, especially for food poisoning.

"Alright, well see you soon, Kagome! Love you!

"Love you too, Mom."

I shut my phone, ending the call. I shook my head and smiled. My mom meant well but she was definitely a bit…silly. I know I inherited my cooking skills from my dad's side of the family since my mom could barely go a day without setting something on fire. Secretly, I think she did it on purpose so she didn't have to cook as much. If one pretends not to be able to cook, they rarely get asked to do so.

I put my book back into my book bag with a sigh. "The last thing I need is to start dreaming about Inuyasha," I thought. I pulled on my coat to get ready to leave.

"AHHH!" I yelped. Pain seared through my thigh, forcing me to collapse back into the chair. I knew instantly what the cause was. "I just need to reach a bathroom", I thought. "I can't run the risk of having a librarian catch me with my pants down in the stacks. I'd be kicked out for sure."

I limped over to the closest restroom, locking the door after me. Slipping my jeans off a little, I was able to get a good look at the crescent moon that now adorned my inner thigh. The bite didn't look infected upon first inspection but again, I wasn't an expert on demon mating rituals. I ran my fingers over the symbol and another wave of pain washed over me so quickly I almost didn't think it happened.

"Something must be happening to Inuyasha", I thought. I pulled up my jeans and sat in down to help me meditate. Once I got myself into a trance, I sent my spirit out in search of Inuyasha. I've always enjoyed the feelings of soaring through the sky, looking down at the beauty of Tokyo. I wasn't able to enjoy the sensation long as I soon felt a tug on my spirit. I was pulled down to a rather large mansion on the outskirts of town. I was struck by the grandness of it but the Takahashi family has quite a bit of money. My spirit finally stopped outside of a window in the west wing of the house.

"Oh my!" I gasped. I quickly snapped out of the trance. Inuyasha and his brother were dueling! Inuyasha seemed to have taken quite a few hits but luckily, none of them were life-threatening. I spied Inu No Taisho in the back corner almost coaching the pair on their form and yelling encouragement. Obviously, this was a regular exercise for the brothers.

A sighed escaped my lips. There wasn't a whole lot I could do about the pain but maybe…

I pushed my jeans down again and placed my hand on the mark, ignoring Inuyasha's pain. I closed my eyes to focus on my aura. I smiled as the pink glowing swirls of my aura lit up my eyes. There was something new, though. Inuyasha's blue aura from his bite had mixed with mine to create a lavender shade that only existed right above my leg. I picked out as much of Inuyasha's aura from the mix and pointed my power at it.

I took a sharp intake of breath as I purified the demon part of my aura. "That is quite painful," I thought with a wince. "No one wonder demons tend to avoid me in the halls."

I looked down at my thigh just in time to see the mark disappear and with it, the slight pain I felt through the connection to Inuyasha. As much as I wished it, I had no way of knowing whether or not it would be permanent.

"I guess I'll find out in the morning," I thought. "Not much else I can do."

I picked up my book bag and left the restroom.


	9. Chapter 9

I was sitting on my bed, already dressed when my alarm went off at six-thirty am for school. It wasn't like I actually got any decent sleep. Between my annoyingly erotic dreams about Inuyasha and the occasional twinges of pain from the crescent on my thigh, sleep was halting and barely existent. I hit the off button my alarm to turn off the buzzing. "This is getting absurd. Three nights of barely one hour of sleep cannot be healthy", I thought with a sigh.

I walked down the stairs slowly; I obviously had quite a lot of time before school started and could take as much time as I wanted. I decided to make some breakfast for myself. My mom was at work and Sota had jazz band early before school that morning. Grandpa was off running errands for the shrine. I decided that making some strawberry crepes were a good idea. I got out the ingredients and set them out on the counter. This makes it easier for me to cook. I really hoped that by focusing on something, I could get my mind off of Inuyasha and get ready for the long day of AP classes ahead of me.

Our kitchen had unusually high cupboards that required step ladders to reach anything. I looked up at the metal mixing bowl I wanted. "It's not the far", I thought to myself. "I can totally reach that." I reached up, barely touching the bowl with my tippy-tops of my fingers. I managed to get it to the edge of the shelf but couldn't quite get it. Somehow, the bowl starting wobbling and fell off the shelf.

"Oh crap", I thought as the metal bowl loomed closer and closer. "That's going to hurt." I felt a sharp pain on my forehead and the world went black as the bowl hit the linoleum.

_A little later…._

"Kagome! Come on, Kags! I need you to open your eyes!" *tap tap* I heard the light smacking of skin before I actually felt a large hand pressed against my face. I nuzzled the hand, enjoying the comfort. Shivers went up and down my spine as something wet and warm to sliding itself from my temple to below my cheek bones.

I opened my eyes suddenly with shock. "Inuyasha….are you licking my face?" I asked in a whisper. I was obviously confused, not only from the hit to the head but because "bad boy" of the school had me cuddled in his arms, licking my wound and whimpering like a lost puppy. I looked to his eyes to see that the red had completely covered his eyes.

"Inuyasha, this is really unnecessary. I promise I feel fine." I tried to move out of his arms, only to be growled at. I stopped moving at once. "Inuyasha's demon side has completely taken over. How unusual," I thought. Inuyasha was on his way to shattering the reputation I had always known him by. I settled back into his arms as comfortably as I could and let him continue cleaning my wound. "If this gets infected, I'm suing you," I grumbled.

I laid in his arms, feeling my spiritual powers already healing me from the inside out. "You know, Inuyasha, you don't need to treat me like I'm some delicate little flower who could wilt at any sign of injury. I'm strong." I heard Inuyasha harrumph, his demon side clearly thinking "yeah, right". "I know I'm extremely klumsy and my healing abilities have adapted to my lifestyle." Inuyasha chuckled but continued licking. "The point of these comments being for you to realize you can stop licking my face and I can stop feeling awkward!" I said, hoping he didn't hear the desperate tone tingeing my voice. As much as I hated admitting it, his strange way of taking care of me and how he brought my school work home were really starting to get to me. The last thing I needed was to become emotionally attached to the breaker of hearts at Shikon High.

I slowly raised my arm to look at my watch without Inuyasha noticing. It was way past the start of school and I rolled my eyes. "I guess I could just have mom call me in sick for the morning but I cannot skip AP Government" I thought in my strictest voice. Hey, we all need something to motivate ourselves. Since the students who were actually at school were only in second hour, and I had the early lunch, I could still make the last three classes of school. First, I had to get Inuyasha out of care-taker mode.

"I need something that will focus his attention elsewhere without making him angry at me," I thought. I searched my brain for any ideas. "Frying pan to the head? No…that might cause brain damage and this boy needs all the help he can get." Suddenly, I got an idea. It wasn't really the best one but, judging from previous experience, would cause him little physical harm. I let some of my spiritual power flow to my finger tips. I pressed them against his arm and closed my eyes. I searched for his aura with mine and, after finding it, gave his demon parts a little shock.

"Mother f-er!" Inuyasha roared. He pulled his arm close to his body, allowing me to move away and sit up. "What the hell, Kagome!" He cradled his arm like a child, glaring in my direction.

"Inuyasha, school started two hours ago and we're really late! I really appreciate the whole 'knight in shining armor thing you've adapted recently but it's really unnecessary." I smoothed my skirt down nervously, trying to be nonchalant about covering the crescent. The motions of my hands drew Inuyasha's attention from his arm to certain parts of my anatomy.

"We could always skip school, Kagome; just stay in bed all day long," he said with a meaningful smile. He reached for my school blouse and I swatted his hands away.

"I need to get to class. It may not be important to you but it's very important to me." I stood up and started walking towards the hallway.

"Why do I even waste my time on you? You're a nobody; just another face in the crowd!" Inuyasha yelled at my back. He burst past me with his demon speed, slamming the door behind him.

I felt like someone gave me a solid punch to the solar plexus. I wasn't one to cry normally, and I refused to start now. I was stranger than this, than him.

"Dammit", I whispered as I felt a single tear slip down my cheek.


	10. Chapter 10

I strolled through the halls towards my AP Government class, not thinking about a certain silver-haired demon and what parts of him I wanted to purify when I saw Sango. Sango was definitely not alone. Sango was currently was leaning against her locker pressed intimately against Miroku. I sputtered, obviously getting their attention.

"Kagome!" Sango yelped, disengaging her lips from the monk's. "I've been meaning to tell you but we've both been so busy and….any way, have you meet Miroku?"

Miroku was Inuyasha's right-hand man and fellow trouble maker. Miroku ability to go through women was second only to his buddy. Why on earth Sango would ever want to get involved with him was beyond me but I was really in no position to judge.

I shook my head no. "I heard of you but have never been introduced," I responded.

"Miroku, this is my absolute best friend, Kagome. She's probably the sweetest person you'll ever meet as well as the best baker," Sango said with a smile, trying to get on my good side.

I stuck out my hand. "Hi there," I said with a bemused smile at my friend's antics. This was obviously important to her, so I'd play nice with the womanizer for now.

As soon as I felt the warm tips of his fingers, our spiritual powers reacted to one another. A volley of sparks shot out from our connected flesh, in a variety of pink and greens.

"So it's true, then" Miroku said, looking at my curiously. "You're quite a powerful priestess."

I laughed. "I'm not that powerful, but yes, I am a priestess." I looked over at Sango who had backed away a bit from the sparks. She looked a little surprised but she never really saw me touch another person with spiritual powers before.

"Don't worry, Sango. That only happens the first time," I said. "It's our auras' way of testing each other's strength." Miroku continued to glance at me with surprise and I knew automatically what he was thinking of.

"Of course he can detect Inuyasha's aura mixed with my own", I thought. "They've been best friends since elementary school."

I mentally smacked myself and quickly let go of his hand. I shot Miroku a look of warning; I didn't need anyone at school, especially Sango, to know about my situation. It was something I needed to take care of myself.

"Well, I've got to get myself to class. I'll see you after school, Sango?"

"Sounds like a plan. See you then, Kags."

I wandered in the direction of my class, my legs dragging as I thought of my predicament. Obviously, I didn't want to mate with Inuyasha but he marked me. There wasn't a whole lot I could do at this point. "Maybe I could ask Kaede to use her powers of purification along with mine on the mark and…."

SMACK! "Ouch…." I said, looking up at a blurry figure from the floor. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. An embarrassed looking wolf demon crouched in front of me, trying to gather up my various papers and textbooks that had gone flying in our collision.

"Oh, man…I'm so sorry! I wasn't even looking where I was going and I just….ugh. Best way to start at a new school," he chuckled nervously.

"Don't worry," I said with a smile. I stood up and smoothed out my pleated uniform skirt. "I wasn't paying much attention either."

I stuck out my hand. "Hi, I'm Kagome Higurashi."

The wolf demon took my hand in his and gave it a solid shake. "Nice to meet you. I'm Kouga Steel. I just moved here from Canada."

I let a little of my power go, a barely noticeable amount, to check his aura. In my mind' eye, I saw a strong, pulsating orange-colored aura. "This one is definitely a warrior and the leader of his own pack; or he will inherit the position in a few years from his father." Kouga was definitely a good demon but that doesn't mean he was a good person.

I let go of his hand. "What class are you headed to?" I asked. He handed me his schedule. "Ah, you're in my class! AP Government with Dr. Divizio! You'll love him; he's a great speaker."

I reach out to grab my material but Kouga moved it out my reach. "I'll carry your books for you. After all, I caused them to go flying everywhere", he said with a grin.

I felt my cheeks heat up as I blushed. "Wow, he's already flirting with me? That was fast."

"Well, class is this way. We should get going so we aren't late." I strolled towards the correct hallway and up to the third door.

Once inside, I took a seat while Kouga went up to Dr. Divizio to get his signature for some office papers. Everyone in class was watching Kouga and almost all of the girls were whispering and shooting jealous glances in my direction. "I really wish they wouldn't assume things," I thought with a sigh. "One potent male demon in my life is enough for right now."

I opened my notebook and started taking notes on Dr. Divizio's lecture. I somehow managed to get through the entire class without thinking of my personal life and issues with Inuyasha more than three times, which honestly was quite a feat.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the class period. I gathered my stuff and left the room, only to have someone's hand pull me to a stop. I turned around, letting my powers build until I realized it was just Kouga.

"Hey, I was just wondering if you would have lunch with me tomorrow. The cafeteria can be kind of intimidating as the new kid", he said as he nervously tugged on his ponytail.

"Yeah, that sounds great!" I'll meet you by the southwest entrance."

"Great! See you tomorrow, Kagome!" Kouga jogged off athletically in the opposite direction, looking pleased with himself.

"Hmm…I wonder if any trouble will come from this." I thought. "This is where I wish I had inherited the powers of premonition instead of purification." I shrugged and started on my way to my next class.

I stopped at my locker to exchange one set of cement blocks for another (textbooks) when a hand suddenly pressed itself against my locker. I jumped in surprise and spun around. My eyes met a pair of deep forest green and sear blue irises. A shiver went down my spine and my stomach did flips. "Traitorous body," I thought.

"Hey Kagome," Inuyasha said quietly, staring into my eyes. "You seem…excited to see me."

"What makes you think that?" I retorted sassily.

He leaned in close to my ear. "I can smell it," he whispered.

I gulped and crossed my legs.

Inuyasha didn't seem to notice my reaction to his statement. He leaned in close to and stuck his free hand into my hair, forcing my neck to lay open to him. He took a deep inhale, breathing in my scent. Before I knew what I was doing, my arm twined itself around his waist and he was pulling me closer.

"Seriously, how are we not getting in trouble for this?" I thought as my eyes drifted shut. "It seems so odd that not even one hall monitor has called as out for this obviously blatant show of affection."

Inuyasha began kissing my exposed neck and I decided I did not care if I got in trouble as long as he kept doing that. He moved down my neck to the tender area of flesh before the shoulder and nibbled. I let loose a sigh I wasn't aware I was holding back. Inuyasha growled and pushed me against his locker with his body, pressing his lips against mine. It took all of my moral being not to wrap my legs around his waist, like some kind of harlot.

Inuyasha filled my senses. All I could feel, smell, hear and taste was him. His canines nipped at my bottom lip and I opened my mouth, entering a whole new realm of desire. My legs shook and I felt his need physically. Boy, did I ever feel it.

"Oh my…" I thought. I forced my eyes to open and recognized we were still in school, in a deserted hallway but a hallway no less. "Inuyasha," I whispered as his lips moved down the front of my neck, over my jugular. My eyes threatened to drift shut again but I managed to keep them open. "Inuyasha!" I said, a bit more forcibly, pushing his away from me.

He took a step back, panting as much as I was. His hands tightened into fists as my eyes roamed down his body, widening as I noticed a piece of anatomy that was more obvious than it had been a few minutes ago. I forced my eyes back to his, which were filled with unfulfilled promises and heat.

"This will happen, my _mate_" he said, placing emphasis on the last word. "See you at work." He walked away with a sardonic grin, leaving me fuming and frustrated in more ways than one.

Glancing at the mirror hanging in my locker, I noticed the trail of love bites he left down my neck leading to my shoulder. "Those aren't obvious at all", I thought sarcastically. I sighed and pulled my collar higher and pushed my hair to that side of my neck, efficiently hiding the evidence till I would be able to put cover-up on it once I got home.

Shutting my locker, I stalked off in the direction of my chemistry class. "I'll see you at work all right, Inuyasha. You bet your ass I will."


	11. Chapter 11

My anger was at a boiling point as I stormed into Little Wonders, adjusting my work t-shirt as I basically blew the doors off the hinges with my powers. Not only did Inuyasha make me cry this morning but he acted like nothing happened and basically had sex with me at school later in the afternoon!

_But you liked it._

"Shut up, mind! He's a bad guy and obviously some kind of bipolar if he thinks acting like this is acceptable."

_You melted in his embrace like baker's chocolate._

"I hate you. You think yo-

"KAGOME!"

Kaede's yell claimed my attention from my inner turmoil.

"Kagome, look what you're doing! You burnt the ties off your apron!"

I looked down at the ties of the apron I had been attempting to tie. The smoking pieces of now very short cotton surprised me.

"My power is getting out of hand," I thought to myself.

"Kagome, are you alright? You seem strangely unfocused," Kaede said, worry shading her voice.

I didn't want to tell her the truth even though, as a priestess herself, there was a decent chance she would have some advice. I found my situation slightly embarrassing and honestly, how do you explain to your boss that you were marked by a horny demon when he was….pleasuring you. Yeah, the chance of those words coming out of my mouth was as likely as Sango quitting school to become a brainless model.

"I'm a little stressed about school. I have some exams coming up in my AP classes," I replied, not quite being able to meet her eyes. If I haven't even told Sango about the mark on my thigh, how was I supposed to tell Kaede?

"Alright, hun. I'll take your word for it but if you do need help, please realize you can come to me."

I nodded, letting my hair fall over my eyes, which were tearing up.

"Well, today would you please make some banana nut bread, two dozen moon pies and triple ginger pound cake? We have a book club coming at 6:30 that specifically requested the pound cake. Don't forget to bring out cream cheese for the banana bread."

"No problem, Kaede. I'll get right on it!" I retreated into the back room for a new apron and supplies.

I was happy to have something to occupy myself and to give my mind a break from that jerk, Inuyasha. Hopefully, Kikyo and her ridiculous breasts would keep her occupied for the shift and leave me in peace.

I struggled to carry all my baking staples to the counter top. Managing to open the door with my leg, I stumbled into a pair of arms. I allowed myself to shag against Inuyasha's chest, letting his scent wash over me. "Just let me have this one moment of weakness," I thought. "I'll steel myself against him after this time."

I put a frown on my face as I pushed myself off him. "I really didn't need your help. I was managing fine on my own."

"Kags, you can barely see over your load of baking supplies and materials. It's an amazing that you even made it this far without dropping anything." With that, he began to pick the heaviest things out of my arms and moved over towards the counter.

"Well, that was pretty sweet of him," I thought, placing my much smaller pile next to his. I turned around only to see his gaze on my butt. "I overestimated him," I thought, rolling my eyes.

"Alright, thanks for the help. Bye." I turned around to start baking, dismissing Inuyasha without a word. I heard him make a noise of disbelief but I forced myself to stare at the cup of flour I was measuring. If I turned around, I would be sucked into talking to him about how much of an ass he was earlier that day and honestly, I didn't need it. I had about two hours to make a ginger pound cake and since I had a love-hate relationship with the spice, I needed all the time I could get to work on it.

I felt the tips of Inuyasha claws touch my shoulders but I guess he must've felt the tension in them because he walked away. I left out a sigh of relief. I didn't need any drama tonight. I just needed focus and to think of something other than Inuyasha's fangs nibbling down my neck like they did earlier…"Dammit!"

I smacked my hands on the counter. "Come on! Focus, Kagome!"

The two hours flew by once I immersed myself in the baking. Soon enough, multiple delicious smells filled the book store, drawing attention to my corner. I was happily handing over plates filled with sugary treats when a group of women walked in, all holding copies of _Dead to the World_. I sighed with longing. "My favorite of the Sookie Stackhouse novels," I thought.

"Thinking of me, Kagome?" a voice whispered into my ear, sending goose bumps over my skin. I backed away, needing space from Inuyasha.

"The look on your face was filled with such desire I figured I should answer your calling," Inuyasha said smugly.

"For your information, the book club that just walked in is carrying one of my favorite books. If I ever look nauseous, then you should assume I'm thinking about you."

Inuyasha stumbled back, grasping his chest. "Oh, my heart! How the lady wounds!" I bit my lower lip to keep from smiling.

"What are you doing over here anyway? You're on register duty."

"Kaede decided you needed some help with the crowd you're attracting."

I harrumphed. "Does she doubt my abilities?"

"No, she just thought you needed a knight in shining armor around," he said with a snigger.

I punched him in the shoulder, laughing. "Yeah, I'm so clearly a damsel in distress." I allowed some of my power to shock the edges of his aura.

"Ow! Ow! Point taken, Kags." Inuyasha stepped closer to me, tangling his hands into the ends of my hair. "If you ever need me for anything", he said, letting the heat show through his eyes, "all you have to do is call for me."

I took a deep breath and nodded. He wandered back over to the book registers, knowing my gaze followed him.

The bell above the door brought me back to my work and I looked at the door. I started with surprise. "Kouga?" I said.

Kouga started and looked around, confused. His eyes landed on me and he smiled at the familiar face.

"Hey Kagome! This is awesome! I didn't know you worked here."

"Yeah, I'm the baker for Little Wonders. What are you doing here?"

"My aunt invited my mom to this store for a meeting with her book club to help her meet some new friends." We both looked over to the group, where a very beautiful middle aged wolf demoness waved happily at her son before returning to the conversation with the other ladies.

"It looks like she's adapting well to the new place," I said. "That's really good."

"Yeah, my dad and I were pretty worried about her when we moved away from her old pack but she and my dad's sister have always been pretty close so it's all good."

The conversation lulled and I watched as he reached his hand up to scratched one of his ears.

"Oh my gosh! Those are sooo cute!"

"Oh….well, thanks," he said, blushing a little.

"Could I touch one?" I asked excitedly.

He chuckled. "Why the hell not?" He walked closer to the counter and bent his head down to accommodate the height difference.

I reached up and gently rubbed one of ears. He leaned into my palm. I almost expected his leg to twitch with happiness.

I pulled my hand away shyly. "Well, I should really get back to work. Your aunt's book club specifically asked for this ginger pound cake and I've got to deliver," I said with a laugh.

Kouga smiled. 'Well, I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Yes. See you tomorrow."

Kouga walked back towards his car after calling good-byes to his mom and aunt.

I felt my thigh pulse and I cried out from the shock. I staggered into the back room where the intense wave hit me again, forcing me to collapse. I put my hand on the mark, focusing on it. "Inuyasha is angry…and jealous? Weird," I thought to myself. I pulled myself up to the window in the door and looked over to the register. I gasped as my eyes met his, glinting with envy. I slide back down to the floor.

"Oh boy."


	12. Chapter 12

I strode down the hallway, flanked by Sango. It was to my belief that Sango had recently developed the condition of puppy dog love-itis. I glanced over at my best friend and Miroku. "Those two are connected at the hip," I thought. They pressed their lips together and I definitely saw tongue. "Okay….connected at the mouth." I shuddered. It was weird seeing someone I considered family kiss that intimately.

_Such a hypocrite._

"Shut up, mind!" I growled audibly.

"Kagome, why are you growling?" Sango asked, slightly amused at my insanity.

"My mind is revolting against the rest of me," I muttered.

Miroku looked past Sango's shoulder in curiosity. "Really? There's a part of your body actually trying to secede from the rest of you? Do we need to get a glass jar?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Sango, your man-friend needs some biology tutoring apparently."

Sango blushed and peeked through her thick lashes at Miroku. "I think he does pretty well in that subject." Miroku's face turned red with pleasure as he shyly rubbed the back of his head.

I sighed longingly. No, I didn't want to jump Miroku's bones. I just wanted that same closeness with someone.

I stopped and turned to face the couple. "Well, I'm off to Divizio's class."

"Have fun! Will we see you for lunch?"

"Yes but I'm bringing a new friend. He just transferred here. He seems pretty nice."

Miroku's eyes suddenly grew alert as they focused on my face. "Does he now?"

"He has to know," I thought as I subconsciously shifted my marked thigh underneath the unblemished one. "Yeah, he does." I replied.

Miroku shrugged casually but his eyes didn't match his posture. He kissed Sango goodbye and we all turned to go. I walked about ten feet before I felt a hand on my elbow. I looked down to see a hand encased in purple fabric and prayer beads. I stared into Miroku's face, slightly annoyed.

"Yes?" I asked impatiently.

"You need to be careful around other demons," he said quietly. "If someone tries to come between you and Inuyasha, the situation could get pretty nasty. I'm talking blood wars, real feudal era stuff."

I took a deep breath. He already confirmed what I had been speculating about for days. Demons were very territorial and that included whoever they marked.

"I just met Kouga yesterday, Miroku. I know you don't know me very well but just to let you know, I'm not self-centered enough or stupid enough to start a blood feud between the dog demons and the wolf tribe. I'm a priestess; I want to keep the peace."

Miroku let his hand drop from my elbow. "It seems like you understand what you're doing."

I chuckled. "That's good because I actually don't have a clue." I turned and continued on my way to class. "See you at lunch."

I sat down in Government with a sigh and rubbed my thigh absent mindedly. I wanted to smack my head on the desk but that would draw too much attention.

"Blood wars? What am I doing?" I thought. "I'm acting like a novice priestess!"

I took a deep breath and pulled my notebook out of my bag. Nothing numbs the brain like lecture about the U.S. Congress. I felt Kouga's aura before he even entered the class.

"Oh man…he seems so happy," I thought. "I need to tell him about the mark. I can't afford to let this get to far….and neither can the rest of the city."

"So Kagome, are you still up for lunch today?" Kouga's excitement shone in his eyes like a beacon. I couldn't deny him this; he was the new kid after all and he couldn't be interested in me. I was just a plain priestess; untouched by my powers like most priestesses. Kaede said it was a bit unusual to not have some kind of marking; she had a lovely swirl of cherry blossoms over her shoulder blades. It left me feeling like an outcast, especially with the small number of priestesses in Tokyo.

"…they were completely in love with the ginger pound cake that you baked last night."

I lightly shook my head to clear my thoughts. "I'm sorry, Kouga….who liked it?"

Kouga smile never faltered but the light dimmed in his eyes. "My mom and aunt; they thought it was fantastic!"

"Tell them thank you for me please. That's very sweet of them to say." I gave him a small smile. Dr. Divizio walked to the front of the class to begin his lecture. I swung around in my seat to refocus my attention.

I tried not to panic too much. Inuyasha obviously had some jealousy and possession issues when it came to me. Seeing Kouga and I eating lunch together could cause irreparable damage to the relationship between the dog demons and the wolf tribe.

"No one would have ever thought little ol' me would be the cause of such destruction," I thought with a snort. I managed to take pretty good notes despite being concerned about possibly causing a civil war.

Before I knew it, the bell was ringing and Kouga was waiting for me to get up to go to lunch.

"I invited some friends to eat with us," I said.

His boisterous posture deflated a little and I giggled.

"They're a couple."

Kouga perked right up when he heard that. I swear his tail almost wagged.

I strode to my locker and got out my lunch. "Do you need to grab anything?"

"Nope, I've got it in my bag."

"Alright, let's go."

We strolled towards the cafeteria. The snow outside drifted slowly to the already white ground. It was lovely and very cold.

I found Sango and Miroku quickly and sat down. I made introductions around the table and the conversation started flowing enough for me to relax and open my lunch.

A twinge of pain went through my thigh causing me to gasp and clutch the table.

The conversation stopped and three pairs of eyes turned to look at me.

"Kagome, are you alright?" Kouga asked curiously. He looked around, apparently confused and sniffed the air. "Do you guys smell something? It smells like demon."

I felt my eyes widen and I jumped up from my seat. "I'll be right back. I just got to run to the restroom."

I sprinted to the bathroom and into a stall. The mark glowed angry red and sent mini spasms of pain through my leg.

I closed my eyes and placed my hand above the mark, looking for the mix of the two auras. The pink sparks of my aura were being overrun by the blue of Inuyasha's. I took in a deep breath to prepare myself. I let power surge through my hands, sending swirling pink to counter the blue. They sizzled off to a golden hue that seemed peaceful or at least less troublesome than the bright blue.

I leaned against the wall, panting with the effort. I didn't know what to do to make this better. It was driving me crazy, though.

I returned to the cafeteria with a plastered smile on my face. Sango looked at me with worry, Miroku with apprehension and Kouga with interest.

I sat down and dodged any questions that had to do with my sudden and strange departure from the table earlier.

"I hear you made one of my favorite dishes last night, Kags."

I smiled. "Anything with tons of sugar is your favorite, Sango."

Sango laughed heartily. "That is definitely true." Miroku glaced down at his sweetheart and hugged her closer.

"Don't worry, I snagged a few extra moon pies for you, hun. You can grab them…"

BRRRRIIINNNNGGGG!

I walked away from the table to answer my phone.

"Hello?"

"May I speak to Miss Higurashi?"

"Speaking."

"This is Doctor Frederick's assistant. We'll calling about the follow-up appointment to get your stitches removed."

"Oh my gosh! I totally forgot to set up an appointment with him!"

"Unfortunately, Doctor Frederick is out of town for a conference but his associate can take the stitches out later today if you're available."

"That'd be great."

"Is 4:30 a good time?"

"Yes, I will see you then."

"Thank you, Miss Higurashi."

_Click._

The bell rang as I jogged back to the table to grab my back.

"I've got to ran, guys. I need to talk to Mr. Sherman about this essay due next week."

I moved towards my locker, knowing I left my best friend shrouded in confusion and worry.

As I grabbed my Roman history books, a hand roughly jerked me around, sending my books flying. I found myself staring into brown irises circled with red.

"What's the deal, Kagome? Are you just trying to play hard to get?"

Obviously, he was angry.

He pushed me against my locker, forcing me to actually look into his frightening eyes.

"I don't know what you mean, Kouga. I was just trying to be friendly to the new kid; nothing more."

He stepped closer to me, holding my arm in a death grip. "You've been playing with me for days now and it's not appreciated."

I put a hand on his arm; merely a warning. "Kouga, I suggest you remove your hands from me."

"Oh, what are you going to do about it? I'm the leader of Tokyo's wolf tribe." He said with a sneer.

I let lose the power surging through my veins, beginning to be used. Pink and blue power shot out of my fingertips sending the silly wolf flying through the air. I quickly took a fighting stance and put up a barrier. Kouga stood up and shot at the barrier, receiving shocks and a direct flight to the other side of the hallway.

I placed my hand over my thigh. "Inuyasha, come to me," I thought quickly since Kouga was charging my barrier again.

"Kouga, I don't know what you're deal is and I really don't want to purify you but I will," I said with as even a voice as I could. My shields were getting weaker and as much as I hated it, I needed that damn dog to show up right now.

The shock of my body hitting the cold linoleum floor made it obvious I needed work on my barriers. A leather boot stepped into my line of vision and I peeked up.

"At least I made him bleed," I thought as he pulled me forcefully to my feet.

I felt a rush of air and suddenly Kouga wasn't holding on to me. Inuyasha had him pinned to the floor, his mismatched eyes bleeding red. I watched as he punched Kouga in the face over and over.

"Inuyasha, you need to stop," I whispered as I placed a hand on his shoulder. Inuyasha's arm halted in mid-air. "We don't want to start a blood feud, right?"

Inuyasha stood up and backed away from the bleeding mess of Kouga, growling lightly.

"Kouga, I suggest you never talk to me again," I said softly. "Tokyo wouldn't be able to survive a demon blood war and it would be stupid for you to start one since I'm….I'm marked as his."

Kouga paled as he looked between me and Inuyasha.

"I….I didn't know! Me and my tribe don't want any trouble from the Takahashi family!"

"Then let's just forget this little incident, shall we?"

I touched Inuyasha's arm.

"Whoa!" I yelped as he swung me up into his arms.

Sure enough, we were rushing through the forests behind the school at break neck speeds. The tree rushed past, making me dizzy. We stopped outside of a adorable log cabin. Inuyasha kicked open the door and walked through, shutting it with his elbow. He sped up the stairs to the bed, which I was placed on.

"Inuyasha," I said, throwing my hands up. "What do you think you're doing?"

The almost fully red eyes looked into mine as his lips formed a snarl. He kneeled on the bed and pushed my arms down by my sides. I felt very nervous and my body was shaky, showing that emotion. I closed my eyes, not sure what to expect.

To my surprise, my blouse was being unbuttoned very gently and pushed aside. I opened my eyes to see Inuyasha slowly trailing his claws over the new bruises I received from battle. The claw sliced through the fabric of my bra, all which was pulled off. I moved my arms to cover myself but Inuyasha snarled at the movement. I blushed as I felt my skirt follow the rest of my clothes. He pulled me into his arms and felt for sore spots and bruises over the rest of my body.

I was surprised by the careful handling I was being given. In his demon form, Inuyasha was usually barely restrained. This soft cuddling was almost unnerving considering his demon self would most definitely want to finish the job of the marking.

Inuyasha pulled back the covers and laid down, tucking me into his side. I felt so comfortable and his claws smoothing my hair lured me to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

I felt so comfortable but there was this annoying beeping noise coming from somewhere off to my right. I snuggled in closer to the warmth, sighing with contentment. I smiled as I felt a hand slide down my side and stop at my hip.

"WHOA!" My eyes popped open and I quickly sat up, clutching the sheet to my bare torso. I looked over to the owner of the hand, who was smirking egoistically while leaning on his elbow.

"Have you been thoroughly ravished, Kagome?" He asked, winking roguishly.

I felt my face heat up as I blushed. That was a sentence straight out of any romance novel.

"No," I replied, forcing myself to meet his eye. "We didn't do anything. Your demon self was feeling protective instead of lusty," I said with a giggle.

Inuyasha visibly blanched and let himself fall back into the pillows dramatically, mumbling into the pillow.

While he was audibly berating himself, I observed my surroundings. The quaint cabin was nicely furnished and very homey. The shelf above the fireplace housed several framed pictures, which I jumped up to investigate. I looked close, surprised to see a young Inuyasha on his father's shoulders holding hands with a very beautiful woman. The trio was laughing heartily and was obviously filled with love.

"That's my mother, Izayoi. She isn't with us anymore", Inuyasha said from behind me.

I didn't turn around. "She is very lovely. I'm sorry she passed away. What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

Inuyasha blew out a settling breath and reached around me for my hand. I let him guide it to the mark as I closed my eyes.

I gasped as images of blood, fire and death flashed before my eyes. Swords clashed and arrows flew through the air. I opened my eyes and turned to face him.

"Shadow demons?" I asked quietly.

"Yes," he replied, his voice hard and cold. "For some reason, they always come after the Takahashi women."

"Oh", I thought. "That explains the training with his father and brother."

Inuyasha's posture remained rigid while he stared at the picture. I glanced around helplessly. I had never lost someone in such a traumatizing way. This did explain why his relationships with girls were always kept to superficial hook-ups: he thought that if they got serious, the shadow demons would come after her.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him close. Inuyasha remained still for a few moments until the ice he seemed to be made of began to melt. He pulled me close, burying his face into my hair.

My phone broke up the tender moment between me and Inuyasha. I walked over to the bedside table to glare at the tiny screen.

ALERT! DOCTOR APPOINTMENT AT 4:30!

"Oh, I totally forgot! I'm supposed to go get my stitches removed today," I said as I hurriedly pulled on my panties and skirt. I sighed as I held up a sliced bra and lifted an eyebrow in Inuyasha's direction, who was whistling innocently.

"Uh-huh….you did absolutely nothing."

"That is correct, ma'am. I am completely blameless in this situation."

I rolled my eyes as I slipped on my school blouse but my hands were stopped from buttoning it up. I let my eyes drift shut as I felt the tip of Inuyasha's claw trail up from my belly button.

"I think I much prefer this look," he said roughly.

I took a deep breath before I opened my eyes and stepped back, finishing my task.

"Of course you would, you hormonal…" I noticed that Inuyasha wasn't even remotely listening to what I was saying. He was instead staring at my chest. I looked down and swiftly covered my chest with my arms.

"Can you get your mind out of the gutter for five seconds?" I yelped. "I have a doctor appointment in less than an hour and I look like a strumpet!"

Inuyasha chuckled at my choice of words.

"Seriously, Kags? Strumpet?"

"I feel it accurately describes how I look right now."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and started digging around in his backpack.

"Don't have a seizure, Kags; I have an extra sweatshirt right here." He handed me his hockey hoodie that clearly had his last name on the back.

"Great, this isn't obvious at all," I thought.

Soon enough we were zipping through the forest back to the parking lot. Inuyasha set me down next to my car and awkwardly shuffled his feet.

"So…do you want to hang out later tonight, Kagome?" he asked, trying to be nonchalant.

_Is that really a good idea, Kags?_

I sighed as I realized how right my conscious was. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, Inuyasha."

"Why?" he responded in surprised.

"Because you can't control your demon side around me and it's going to be even harder now after this Kouga thing."

Inuyasha stared at me and then just strode away.

"Whatever, he can have his little temper tantrum," I thought. "I have over things to think about."

As if to prove a point, my phone beeped another reminder about the doctor's appointment. I got in my car and drove quickly to Doctor Frederick's office, weaving in and out of traffic.

I sprinted into the waiting room and panted as I signed myself in. I took a seat and pulled a book out of my backpack…a romance novel, of course. I was shocked out of the story of Giselle and Eric by the nurse calling my name. I dutifully followed her to a sanitized room and sat down on the exam table.

"The doctor will be in shortly, hun" the nurse said. She closed the door and I heard her drop my chart into the bin attached to the door.

I looked around the room, my eye catching an obviously very old painting. It featured a royal court in the feudal era.

"Something about the people in that picture just isn't right," I thought to myself. I leaned in for a closer look when the door suddenly opened.

SMACK!

"Ow..." I groaned against the linoleum floor. I stood up as quickly as I could while making sure my skirt was in place.

"Oh!" I murmured in surprise as I glanced at my doctor.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Takahashi, Doctor Frederick's associate. I understand that you have some stitches that need to be taken out, Miss Higurashi." He met my gaze and I acted instinctively.

I pulled the collar of my shirt to the side and exposed my neck.

Doctor Takahashi looked at me, his face completely unreadable. I slowly lowered my hand to my lap, shocked at my actions.

"I'm…I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me," I mumbled.

The doctor's eyes narrowed but he continued towards me with forceps to remove the stitches. I held out my left arm after rolling up the sleeves of Inuyasha's bulky sweatshirt. I forced myself to keep my gaze fixed on the ceiling as I felt the thread slide out of my flesh. I felt a slight tug and grimaced.

"Where do you attend school?" Dr. Takahashi asked, as he cut another stitch.

"I'm a junior at Shikon high," I responded quietly, hoping he didn't realize whose sweatshirt I was wearing. I felt my heart start pounding as I prayed none of his body would touch mine.

"He'll know in an instant his brother marked me as his." I thought panicking.

I sat quietly with my heart pounding in my ears as he finished pulling the stitches out. I took a deep breath as he walked away to dispose of them.

"Your cut seemed to have heeled extremely cleanly and without any complications," Doctor Takahashi said tonelessly. He peeled off his gloves, exposing his claws. I watched as he washed them. Knowing he would have clean claws when he killed me was a small, small comfort.

"It looks like you will, however, a slight scar," he continued.

I looked down at my left arm and ran a finger over the long, horizontal slightly pinkish line marring my arm. I rolled my eyes as I recalled how exactly I got that lovely scar.

"Well, Doctor Takahashi, thank you for seeing me but I really must be going," I said as got off the examining table.

"If you have any questions or concerns, my colleague should be returning to work shortly," he replied as he opened the door.

I picked up my backpack and started for the open door. "Freedom!" I thought with barely contained excitement. I made for the opening like a bullet…..only to feel my foot slip on some unseen and obviously evil substance on the floor. I felt all hope evaporate as my other foot lost stability and slip. The doctor's hand shot out and grabbed my elbow, keeping me from plunging to the floor.

A wave of power tried to shot at me. I closed my eyes and focused. Deep purple raged against my pink in a fast moving swirl. I opened my eyes as I was coldly thrust away.

"Priestess," he said frostily.

I straightened my back and tensed my muscles, wishing I had my sacred arrows. I didn't know what to expect from this encounter. My hands shook even though the rest of me was at the ready. Squaring off against a full-fledge demon was the last thing I expected to do today.

Doctor Takahashi's finger tips started emitting light and his Whip of Light formed. I spread my own fingers and let power crackle between them. He moved so fast I didn't even know till I was shoved against the wall, hard.

My aura roared against his as I kicked back, trying to get his kneecaps.

"You are weak, human. Why are you even trying?" he said without emotion.

His other hand gripped my hip where Inuyasha's hoodie rode up and he jumped.

"No….he would not be so stupid as to….no," he whispered, rage tingeing his voice.

He spun me around but kept me pinned to the wall. I felt his fingers trail over my midriff and lower back. His hand pulled my chin up till my eyes met his.

"Where is the mark?" he said, emotions back under control.

I pulled myself together and sent power through my arm. He grunted, but maintained his hold.

"Where is it?" he demanded.

I felt sweat bead my forehead as I concentrated. I forced as much power as I could in his direction.

He struggled against the power as it slid him across the floor, haltingly, to the other wall in the hallway. I pulled down the sweatshirt to cover my midriff and walked up to him.

"Are you single, doctor? Because I can tell you now that if you treat all your dates like that, you're going to stay single for a long time."

He snarled and bucked against my power as I walked out of his office.


	14. Chapter 14

The courage I originally felt as I swaggered out of Doctor Takahashi was now completely gone. I felt my body shake as I zoomed down streets to my safe haven. My panic was interrupted by a crazy techno beat, which made me jump a foot off my seat.

"That impedes safe driving for sure," I thought with a nervous giggle. I stopped at a red light and dug through my back pack for my phone. I finally found the source of my exasperation and answered.

"Hey Mom."

"Hello darling! I just wanted to see how your doctor appointment went."

"It was fine. I'll have a slight scar but there was no sign of infection or anything."

"You sound a bit…winded, hon. Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah….I'm excellent. I am, however, heading over to Sango's house to study for a bit."

"That's fine, Kagome. Just make sure you're home by midnight."

"Okay, no problem Mom. Love you!"

I tried to steady my hand as I heard the click on the other end followed by the dial tone. I tossed my phone onto the seat next to me as I sped on. Before I knew it, I was pulling into Sango's driveway. I was almost put off by lack of vehicles and lights inside the house but Sango's car was in the driveway.

"She's probably just scaring herself silly by watching horror movies in the dark," I thought with a chuckle. I let myself into the back door, like I normally do and was greeted by silence.

"This is strange," I reflected as I passed through their normally cheery kitchen to get to the stairs.

Finally, I heard a muffled noise. Shrugging, I followed it, unable to decipher the unfamiliar tones. As I got closer, I only got my confused.

"That can't be what I think it is…..oh my goodness….she's playing Barry White."

Sensual moans soon assaulted my ears, which were turning a bright red.

"I definitely should've called first," I mumbled.

I slowly backed away from the door where the moans and groans were getting louder. Regretting my decision completely, I booked it out of the house as Sango started screaming.

"I'd be worried if I hadn't heard 'Can't Get Enough of Your Love Baby' coming out of her speakers," I thought, blushing furiously. I got into my car and then I felt it; a dull, low throb in my upper thigh. The throb became sharper and sharper as it spread through my body until I felt like I was on fire. I was tempted to see what Inuyasha was doing to provoke such a reaction in my body but I decided it was better not to. I bit my lip as my engine roared to life. After slamming it into first gear, I raced home, barely registering my surroundings.

I had a feeling of déjà vu as I pulled into the shrine's driveway.

"None of the lights are on….again," I thought with despair. "I expected my family to be home tonight."

I parked my car in an empty driveway, starting to worry. It was seven at night; where on earth could my family be? I used my key to get into the house and switched on the lights. I noticed a piece of paper on the granite island in the middle of the island.

_Kagome-_

_Sota, Grandpa, and I went to a movie. We won't be gone too long and might even be back before you get home. There is a plate for you in the fridge and I bought you more baking supplies._

_Love you!_

_-Mom_

"That explains everything," I thought with an exasperated sigh.

"Well, at least I get to quiet house tonight to bake in."

I began to look through the cupboards to see what supplies my mother bought me. I excitedly pulled out coconut extract, coconut milk, dark chocolate baking squares, and coconut flakes.

"Score! Now I can make Mounds cupcakes!" I thought as I did a happy dance around the kitchen. I opened the dish washer to search for my favorite set of tie-dyed mixing bowls when the hair on the back of my neck suddenly stood on end.

I dropped to the floor, feeling a breeze over my head. My gaze went immediately to the wall.

"Holy crap! Are those….spears?" I said to myself, feeling my stomach jump into my chest.

I watched with unabated terror as the dark spears slowly dematerialized before my eyes.

"It's like they were never even there!"

I crawled on my knees to the closest where I kept my bow and arrows. I took an arrow out of my quiver and placed the quiver over my shoulder. I cocked my bow and leapt to my feet, not sure what or who my attackers were.

The house's eerie silence was filled only with my panting as I methodically checked through the rooms of the first floor. Suddenly, a powerful rush of air pushed me against a wall and I felt something sharp slide across my skin. I gasped and clasped my hand over the suddenly oozing gash on my upper arm.

"Shit. I am in trouble," I thought.

I slid across the wall, my eyes searching frantically for anything moving. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a moving shape on the floor. I quickly released my cocked bow, sending one of my sacred arrows flying square into the silhouette. I released a breath I didn't even know I was holding when I heard the arrow hit flesh and a responding roar of pain and rage.

I sprinted over to my arrow. The sight that met my eyes was one that would haunt my dreams for years. A creature with a swirling black man-shaped body and blood red eyes stared back at me.

"Priestesssss…." it hissed at me.

I cocked another arrow and pointed it straight at the thing's face.

"What do you want with me?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

"We hunt the blood of the dog tribe. It residesssss in your veinssss now."

The monster coughed up toxic looking green fluid, making it obvious that the arrow was affecting him greatly.

"Who sent you?" I demanded.

The creature's response was to laugh hysterically. He reached out with his hand and grabbed my ankle, puncturing the skin slightly with his nails. I staggered at the pain and fell to the floor. I looked at the joint, which commenced to leak a black, sickly looking fluid. I kicked the monster in the face with my good foot, silencing him.

I lay there on the floor, shivering as the toxin worked its way through my body. I heard a noise somewhere behind me, causing me to panic. It took all my strength to turn my head.

"Doctor… Takahashi…" I whispered.

The dog demon found me on the floor and immediately began searching for the cause of my situation. His fingers trailed over the gorges in my ankle, causing me to groan in pain. He quickly surveyed the rest of the room, his face unchanging as he found his quarry. He let his finger tips glow with his poison whip and he quickly and efficiently decapitated the fiend.

"Stupid mortal….taking on a shadow assassin all by yourself," he said, without emotion.

Doctor Takahashi looked around and sighed. He bent down and picked me up carefully.

"Where are you taking me?" I forced out.

My query was meant with silence.

"Where are you taking me?" I demanded.

"To the Takahashi mansion. You need to be healed and I have not the means to do so in this pathetic hovel."

I punched him as hard I could in the chest but seeing as my vision was fading, the punch was obviously not very hard. The chilly winter breeze was the last thing I felt before I lost consciousness.


	15. Chapter 15

I awoke to the feel of velvet and the sound of a roaring fire. I felt the urge to just snuggle in deeper and fall back asleep. It would be so easy. Rough voices, however, pulled me out of the light sleep state I was in.

"How could you be so careless, Inuyasha?" a gruff male voice demanded.

"It just happened! I couldn't control myself!"

"Besides dealing with the Shadow Demon tribe, we now also have to worry about you losing all connection with reality in about two months. Your actions have been irresponsible and childish," the gruff voice reputed quickly.

"We are not ready for a full out war with them, either" Doctor Takahashi commented.

"That is exactly why I kept you here, Inuyasha. There was no way you would have left without causing a war then and there. You would've been stranded, fighting alone with an unconscious and injured priestess."

A long pause followed this comment.

"I've had enough of this discussion," the older male voice continued. "Let's meet this Kagome Higurashi."

I quickly sat up in the chaise longue I had previously been sleeping on. I felt a slight chill and looked down.

"I don't have pants on…." I thought, confused.

Instead, I was only wearing an old hockey practice jersey and my underwear. I looked down at my ankle, which was wrapped in pristine gauze.

"At least it's not leaking that sickly black fluid anymore," I thought.

Three pairs of male footsteps approached the door of the room I was in and I quickly pulled the blanket up to my waist. I wanted to at least look somewhat appropriate when I met Inuyasha's father.

The door opened admitting three, silver-haired men of differing ages. Inuyasha's father, Inutaisho, was the tallest of the three and had a mixture of Inuyasha and Dr. Takahashi's looks. He had the bangs, like both his sons, but his facial marks were very different from his older son. They were actually more like Inuyasha's when he let his demon side take over. Inuyasha was also the only Takahashi with dog ears on top of his head. They were honestly the most attractive family I'd ever seen.

I felt my face flush as I felt three pairs of eyes fall on me, two gold and the other mismatched. I stared back, not sure what to expect.

"Hello, Miss Higarashi," Inutaisho said, stepping forward. "I am Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father and the leader of the demon dog clan."

"Hi." I replied nervously.

"I apologize for the mess my son has gotten you involved in. It is actually quite serious. The Shadow demons are very dangerous and fanatical in nature."

"I am not familiar with that type of demon," I responded.

"They tend to be very elusive and are not generally social," Inutaisho said. "They are mostly combative."

"The priestess pinned one with a sacred arrow," Sesshomaru said quietly.

The leader Takahashi stared at me with calculating eyes and slight surprise.

"We didn't ever think mortal weapons would be able to penetrate them. They don't have corporeal bodies," he said.

The three men looked at each other, all obviously thinking something that I wasn't privy to.

"Well, excuse me and Inuyasha, Miss Higarashi," Inutaisho said. "We have much to discuss."

Inutaisho gripped Inuyasha's shoulder tightly as he steered him out the room, Inuyasha angrily glaring at Sesshomaru. I glanced around with surprise when the door closed behind and Sesshomaru was still in the room.

"Why are you still here?" I asked, tensing my body for a fight.

"I need to check you ankle," he replied.

"Can I at least get some pants?"

"No. Putting them on would cause your ankle to jostle and honestly, the acid from the demon deteriorated your bone enough to cause a break," he said in a doctor voice.

"Who took off my clothes and put this me?" I demanded as my fingers picked at the jersey. "Who does this belong to any way?"

"I had to remove your clothes to make sure you weren't injured besides your ankle. You should stop taking such an attitude with me, Priestess. You would have gotten an infection in that gash on your upper arm."

I quieted at that last bit of information.

"Well, thank you, I guess, for getting me out of there." I said inaudibly. His demon ears still obviously caught my statement.

"I don't want your gratitude, priestess. I was only following orders," he said emotionlessly.

I fumed at the implication. He only saved me because he was forced to.

I was pulled out of my thoughts but Sesshomaru started to pull the blanket off my feet, ankles, and calves.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

"I need to check your legs to make sure the toxin hasn't spread from your ankle to the rest of your body."

I closed my eyes as the blanket was lifted to my knees. I took a deep breath as I felt the gauze being unwound from my ankle and then light tips grazing over my ankle.

"It's pretty swollen still and very discolored from bruising. The lacerations from the demons talons are healing slowly but they are healing."

I took a deep inhale as I felt his hands slide up my legs, turning them slowly to check for the toxin in my veins. I tried to gain control of my breathing as I felt the blanket pulled completely off me, exposing my legs fully. I heard Sesshomaru folding the blanket and set it on the floor. His warm hands returned to my upper calves and I felt myself become excited. I blushed as he traveled further up my leg, moving over my knee.

"I definitely should not be feeling this," I thought, barely registering that I was sliding down the chaise longue.

His hands smoothed over the top of one thigh and my breathing hitched. He slowly trailed down the underside of the same thigh and I let a moan escape.

"Kagome, did that hurt?" he asked, looking at my face for any trace of pain.

I was surprised by the lack of coldness in his eyes. It was so different from what I was used to seeing. I felt myself so close to the edge, and to my surprise, I was willing to fall off. He placed his hands on my other knee, tentatively at first. When he realized he wasn't causing me any pain, his hands moved faster. He brushed my inner thigh and I jumped with the pleasure that shot through me. One hand moved to my hip to keep my pelvis steady.

"So this is where it is," he said softly.

His eyes met mine and he slowly trailed his fingers over the crescent moon that so closely matched the mark on his forehead. I bit my lip, refusing to show how he was affecting me any more than I have. His fingers swirled lazily over and over.

"You….you shouldn't be doing that," I whispered.

"Shh….I'm just examining you."

He lifted my leg and sat down on the chaise with me. Placing my leg on his lap, he slowly wound clean gauze around my ankle.

"We'll have to put a cast on it eventually," he said quietly.

He stroked the length of my calf, his gold eyes taking in the site of my legs. My breathing was short and he knew why.

I watched as his hand slid up to my thigh, visibly panting. He slid his hand over my mark and I was thrown over the edge. My head fell back as my muscles contracted. Sesshomaru's weight left the chaise and the blanket was put back over me. I was trying to catch my breath as I heard him head towards the door.

"Kagome," he said.

I opened my eyes slowly and turned my head towards him.

"The jersey you're wearing….it's mine," said Sesshomaru with a smile.

"I am fucked," I thought as I fell asleep.

_Hey readers! I'm sorry I've never written to you before but I wanted to thank you for all your support and patience. I know I don't update as often as I should but I'm trying to fix that this summer. I really appreciate all your comments and please keep it up. : )_

_3 The White Priestess_


	16. Chapter 16

"Did that really happen?"

I groaned into the pillow as sunlight shone through the drapes. I felt like an idiot.

"Inuyasha is bad enough but now his brother? Apparently, I'm making up for lost years of boy craziness," I thought.

Not knowing what time it was or even the day, I scrambled for my phone. Realizing my clothes had obviously been removed from the room, I panicked slightly because I knew that my mom probably called. Luckily, a uniformed butler quietly entered the room.

"Hello, Miss Higarashi. I am Jones, the Takahashis' butler. Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Actually, there is," I said with relief. "I need to contact my family immediately so they don't think I was kidnapped."

"Right away, Miss. Would you also care for lunch?"

My stomach growled in response. Jones sniffed with indignation; bodily noises were obviously not considered proper by the starched and uptight butler. I giggled as Jones looked at the ceiling as if asking for guidance.

"I will ask Cook to make up something for you, Miss."

"Thank you, Jones," I said with a smile.

The butler exited as quietly as he entered, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I blushed as I recalled what just occurred on this same chaise with Sesshomaru.

"Getting involved with Inuyasha was apparently not enough for me, oh no. Something just had to happen with his older brother, too". I sighed and pulled a pillow over my face.

I decided to focus on something more important than my very confused hormones and see how my aura was doing. Closing my eyes, I focused on my own pink whirls that still had little dots of blue.

"Inuyasha's aura is still mixed with mine," I thought, surprised. "I figured that would've cleared out by now."

Out of the corner of my awareness, I sensed something dark swirling there. Looking closer, I gasped in shock.

"The shadow assassin infected me with…something," I thought worriedly. "The toxin may be gone but something lingers."

I focused more deeply on my broken ankle, seeing for myself that Sesshomaru was correct; the toxin had indeed done quite a lot of damage to the bone. I concentrated my healing powers over the area and tried to knit the bone back together as much as possible but I was weak from hunger and fighting off the toxin so there wasn't much I could do.

I laid back onto the chaise, breathing heavily from effort.

"Damn. Now I'll need a cast for sure," I thought, upset that I'd be helpless on crutches.

The door slide noiselessly across the carpet as Jones wheeled in a cart full of fruit, salad, sandwiches and tea. Jones reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a cordless house phone.

"Oh, this looks delicious! Thank you so much, Jones!"

I took the phone from him and then he bowed.

"If you need anything else, Miss, just ring the bell on the lower shelf of the cart."

Jones, again, silently exited the room.

"That man has skills," I thought. "He must have had some kind of ninja training."

I took a bite of delicious sandwich and dialed the phone number for the shrine. It rang twice and finally was answered.

"Higarashi residence!" Souta yelled into the phone, making me chuckle and hold the phone a foot away from my face.

"Souta, could you get mom for me?"

"Oh, hey Kagome! Yeah, sure. I wanted to play video games any way."

"Hello?" my mom said.

"Hey mom. Sorry I didn't make it home last night."

"It's fine, honey. I got your text about sleeping over when I got out of the movie with Grandpa and Souta."

"What text?" I thought, confused.

"Well any way…would you mind calling me in sick to school? I'm afraid I injured my ankle last night and am currently immobile."

"Darling, don't you remember what the date is? It's winter break! You don't have school for the next eleven days."

"Oh my gosh! I totally forgot!"

"Don't you remember, dearest? Your grandpa has that Shrine Caretakers convention and Souta and I are accompanying him. You decided to stay behind and focus on your studies."

"I completely forgot! I've just been so busy!"

"I know you have been, honey. Between work and school, you barely have time to sleep!"

"You don't even know the half of it," I mumbled.

"What was that, sweetie?"

"Nothing, Mom. Have a great trip!"

"Get some rest, darling. It is a break, after all."

"I'll try. Give Grandpa and Souta a hug for me."

I hung up and finished my sandwich. The door swung open and Sesshomaru strode into the room, followed by Jones with yet another cart.

I sighed at the ceiling as he stopped next to the chaise.

"Yes, Sesshomaru?"

Jones coughed to mask his shocked laugh.

Sesshomaru's eyes remained cold.

"Priestess, you have not earned the right to address me by anything other than my formal title of 'doctor'."

He again pulled the blanket off my ankle and gently touched it. His eyebrow rose in surprise.

"The bone seems to have regenerated quite a bit since I was last checked on it."

I felt my face flush as I remembered exactly what happened last time he doctored me. Sesshomaru must've realized what I was thinking about because he smirked before he turned around to start mixing the plaster for my cast. He moved back over to the chaise to put a stocking to pad my skin against the plaster on my foot and ankle.

"Jones, I won't need your assistance for this procedure."

Jones looked at me, a question in his eyes.

"I'll be fine, Jones. Thank you." I gave him a large, confident smile that I wasn't feeling.

The butler gave a slight bow and backed out of the room, shutting the door.

"You seem to have won over the staff," Sesshomaru said, placing the first plaster strip over the stocking.

"A lot can be accomplished with kindness and gratitude," I responded.

Sesshomaru met my eyes with a glare as I stared into his innocently. He looked back down to his task and finished the first layer.

"My father seems to think it's best that you stay here until we can properly ward your house. How you have not yet done that as you are supposively a priestess confuses me to no end."

My mouth dropped in shock. "That was beyond rude," I thought.

"I never thought I'd get involved with something as dangerous as the shadow demons!" I yelled with anger. "This is not my fault!"

"You humans are all the same. Accept responsibility for your actions. You brought this yourself by seducing my idiot brother."

He finished my cast and stood up.

"Never touch me again," I said, trembling with fury. "You are an ignorant fool. Do not sit there, pretending to know anything about my relationship with Inuyasha."

Sesshomaru's cold eyes never left mine as he nodded and left the room.


	17. Chapter 17

I hobbled around the Takahashi kitchen in search of mixing bowls, measuring spoons and ingredients.

"Anything….ANYTHING to stop this mind-numbing boredom," I mumbled.

"Miss Higarashi, can I help you?"

I lost my footing and sent one of my crutches flying to the floor with a smack.

"Jones, you need a bell on your bow tie or something," I said from the floor.

"Let me help you up, Miss," Jones sniffed, offering a shoulder.

"If you keep this up, I'll be in a full body cast soon," I said, half-jokingly

"Well, I wouldn't have interrupted you but Cook was concerned."

"Concerned?" I asked, confused. "Why?"

"She's not used to members of the family being in the kitchen. She thought that this meant you found her cooking unsatisfactory."

"Oh no! Quite the opposite in fact. I am merely trying to alleviate some tedium."

"Ah, I see," Jones replied.

"Do you have something you want to say, Jones?" I asked with a giggle.

"No, Miss. Merely that Cook keeps the baking supplies in the second cabinet on the right."

Jones executed a swift bow and took his leave.

"He is such an oddity," I said as I sighed and shook my head.

I again tottered over to the cabinet Jones pointed out to me. I began pulling out ingredients for a Caramel-Pecan Upside-Down Chai Apple Pie. I was pleased they had all the dry ingredients but I still needed to make my way across the huge kitchen to the Takahashi's beautifully large fridge. I managed to inch my way to the fridge without any accidents or injuries.

"Nothing sort of a freaking miracle," I thought.

I placed my hand on the door handle when someone took the crutches from under my arms. I leaned my weight against the fridge, needing the support. I hopped around, spotting Inuyasha looking mischievous.

"Inuyasha, where are my crutches?" I asked, angrily.

"Oh, your crutches? You don't need them for right now," he said with a smirk.

My mark throbbed with the look on his face. I knew he was up to no good. Inuyasha slinked up to me, a predatory look in his eyes. I was cornered prey and he knew it. He moved in a blur till he was right up against me, invading my senses.

I was pressed against the cold hard metal of the fridge, Inuyasha's warm hand tangled in my hair pulling my head to expose my neck. His face was buried into my neck, deeply inhaling my scent.

"Inuyasha…you….you have to be careful with me," I whispered as I let my head fall back further, allowing him more access.

The only answer I received was a low growl as I felt my purple shrug tugged down my shoulders. Inuyasha's pointer teeth nipped at my neck, making me shiver. He moved as close as he could between my legs, my cast slightly obstructing the way. His lips moved up my neck and along my jaw line, heading towards my lips. My arms floated down around his neck as our lips met, softly at first and then fiercer, harder. I broke the kiss, gasping for breath as my camisole was lowered considerably and fangs and lips travelled lower. A moan escaped my throat and my knees felt like they were going to give out on me. My mind was melted by the fire and I couldn't think of anything besides the feelings I was experiencing. It was then I heard a snap get undone.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing?" I asked, barely able to form sentences.

"We both know this is inevitable, Kags," he whispered into my ear. "Just let it happen."

"So you can what? Just toss me aside when we're done?"

"Kags, we both want this. Let's just see where this goes."

"That's not good enough for me, Inuyasha. I need you to back off now."

"I don't see or understand the logic in your thinking!"

Inuyasha's eyes showed rage for about five minutes before he sneered. He put my top back into place and left me only to return with my crutches. He handed them to me and then started to walk out of the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" I asked quietly.

"I forgot that I have a…..study session at the library on the third floor by the rare books," he said over his shoulder, smirking.

I watched speechless as he strode out, his steps in time with the pounding of my heart.


	18. Chapter 18

The night passed with me escaping into my romance novels. My leg was elevated with a hospital size hanging sling that Sesshomaru, surprisingly, procured for me. The following morning, I called Sango, desperate for some best friend girl advice. She picked up on the first ring.

"Kagome! Oh my god! I was so worried about you! I called your phone but it just kept going straight to voice mail!"

"It kind of went missing and then had no more battery life."

"I see. So how are you spending this lovely break?"

"Well, besides studying and reading, it seems like most of my break will be spend hiding from the shadow demons in the home of the Takahashis."

"I'm sorry….run that last part by me again."

"I'm staying at the Takahashis' house for the winter break." This statement was met with much cursing and rummaging around on Sango's side of the line.

"I'll be over in five minutes with an arsenal that will blow them off their freaking foundation!" Sango yelled as she pulled a sword from its scabbard.

"Sango, you need to calm down. I'm here of my own free will. I was attacked by these awful, insane creatures called Shadow Demons and I'm here healing while my family is away at a conference. Can you and Miroku do some research on them while I'm cooped up here? I just feel so unprepared for the first time in my life."

My request was met with deep sigh as the sword was pushed back into place.

"Yeah, Kags. Miroku and I can do some investigating for you."

"Thanks. I really need this."

"What else are friends for them researching an unknown demon race?" Sango said as she chuckled.

I smiled as I heard a click on the other end of the line. Thank goodness for Sango.

I snuggled deeper into the covers and returned to my romance novel, _An Impossible Attraction_. I sighed as the hero broke the heroine's heart, treating her like a common strumpet by tossing money at her feet after a night of unimaginable pleasure. My face flushed as the pair reunited physically and their love was renewed.

The door swung open and my blush only grew deeper.

"Sess- Doctor! I…I wasn't expecting any company," I stuttered, embarrassed. I struggled to cover my bare legs and thighs since I was merely wearing a long t-shirt to bed, which was difficult considering the sling and cast.

I watched as Sesshomaru's emotionless gaze slide carelessly over my bared legs and thighs and up to my reddened face.

"I just came to check on the cast's structure and make sure the gash on your upper arm is still doing well."

I tried to keep my breathing under control as he stepped closer to the bed and put his hands on the cast. I heard him mumbling to himself and nodding about the composition. All seemed to be well.

"Now, let me see your arm." He strode around to the other side of my bed and sat on the edge, taking my arm in his hands. "Hmmm," he said, thoughtfully. "It appears to be healing well but there is a strange tinge to your skin that leads me to believe some shadow demon toxin remains in your body."

"That explains the dark swirling I see in my aura," I thought.

"Other than that, you seem to be healing just fine. In a few days, my father wants you to start training with us so you can be ready against a shadow demon attack."

"That sounds fine," I replied.

"Your face is a little flushed, Priestess. Perhaps you are running a fever?"

"I promise I'm fine. I was just reading this book…" I said as a gestured slightly to my book.

Sesshomaru picked up the book with the tip of his claws and stared at the page I had been previously been reading before he walked in. My embarrassment was complete as one of his eyebrows flew to his hairline.

"This is what someone in all AP and honors classes reads in her spare time?"

"Yes!" I squeaked in exasperation, trying to grab my book back.

He looked more closely at the book, as if demanding it to exposure all its secrets. He looked up from the book, a pensive look on his face.

"Show me."

"Show you what?" I responded as I felt my heart beat out of control.

"Show me what this silly human book is supposed to project."

"Why? According to you, I'm just some girl that has seduced you brother and caused your family nothing but trouble."

Sesshomaru's hand reached up and stroked my hair. He shifted closer to me on the bed, his eyes looking strange in the soft light. I closed my eyes as he tugged me closer. I was shocked when instead of a wild claiming, his lips pressed to mine with a gentle question. My own fingers wound themselves in his silky locks as I responded. His uncertainty was heartwarming and I felt my reserve melting and my lips opening as his tongue asked entrance. He slowly pulled me into his arms, as best he could, and angled my jaw so he could slide his tongue deeper into my mouth. I felt like my heart was going to explode out of my chest as he continued his slow, penetrating kissing. I clung to him as if my life depended on it; as if he was my giving me life-giving oxygen.

Then, suddenly, I was no longer being held or being passionately kissed.

"That was very informative, Priestess. Thank you."

Sesshomaru stiffly walked out my room and quietly shut the door.

I flung my glass of water at the door and cursed.


End file.
